People are more likely to to be unfaithful in a relationship if they know that others are having affairs, a new study has found.
“We showed that exposure to norms of adultery decreased the commitment to the current partner, while increasing expressions of desire for alternative mates,” researchers from Reichman University said.
While previous studies have looked at the determinants of infidelity, this new study set out to understand whether external circumstances also increase the likelihood of people cheating on their partners.
“Relationships do not exist in a vacuum,” the researchers explained. “As such, their functioning is likely affected by the social context as much as by internal forces.”
A series of three studies were set in motion by the researchers to examine whether exposure to infidelity online would sway the participants’ desire to cheat.
The initial study saw 145 participants be shown a video citing studies about the percentage of people who had cheated on their partner.
One portion of the participants were told the figure was 86 per cent, while others were told that the figure was 11 per cent.
After watching the video, participants were asked to describe a sexual fantasy involving someone other than their current partner.
These scenarios were then coded by the researchers for expressions of sexual desire for current and alternative partners.
The results, published in Archives of Sexual Behaviour, revealed that hearing about a higher prevalence of infidelity did not significantly affect the participants’ sexual desire for alternative partners.
Reading about cheating on a partner, however, seemed to pique the interest of the participants a little more.
In a second study, 132 participants read confessions that described incidents of cheating on either a current partner or on academic work.
After this initial phase, they were shown photos of attractive strangers and asked whether they could see them being a prospective partner.
The results revealed that participants who had read about cheating on a partner were more likely to consider the strangers as potential partners.
The final study involved 140 participants reading the results of a survey on the prevalence of cheating on a partner or on current work.
Across both circumstances, the prevalence of cheating was high (85 per cent).
The series of studies was concluded with the participants being told they would be interviewed by a researcher over an instant messenger.
They were then shown a picture of the “researcher” – deemed by the study to be a moderately attractive person of the opposite sex.
The interviews included fixed questions about hobbies, food preferences, positive traits, and tips for keeping oneself occupied at home.
