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Beowulf · 03-12-2012, 09:45 PM

From an article at WebMD about infidelity, some interesting findings:

1. ”56% of men who had affairs were happy in their marriage, according to a study by Helen Fisher, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist at Rutgers University and the author of Why Him? Why Her? and Why We Love. By comparison, only 34% of women who had affairs were happy or very happy in their marriage.

Men are more likely to cite sexual motivations for infidelity and less likely to fall in love with an extramarital partner, Fisher tells WebMD. ”Women are more interested in supplementing their marriage or jumping ship than men are. For men, it is a secondary strategy as opposed to an alternate.”

…Experts say that a large majority of the time, motivations for infidelity differ by gender, with men searching for more sex or attention and women looking to fill an emotional void.

Men are more likely to cite sexual motivations for infidelity and less likely to fall in love with an extramarital partner. Women tend to have an emotional connection with their lover and are more likely to have an affair because of loneliness.”

2. ”Although infidelity is the main reason unmarried couples who are living together split up, the same is not true of married couples. Married couples often cite being incompatible or unable to communicate as the cause of their divorce.”

3. ”Statistics from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy suggest that 25% of husbands report having had sex outside of their marriage. When emotional affairs or sexual intimacies without intercourse (such as kissing) are included, the number jumps to 45%.

Statistics from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy suggest that 15% of wives report having had sex outside of their marriage. When emotional affairs or sexual intimacies without intercourse (such as kissing) are included, the number jumps to 35%.”

4. ”A National Marriage Project study of 25- to 60-year-olds found that highly educated people are less likely to be unfaithful than their less educated peers. In the 2000s, 13% of college educated respondents reported sex outside their marriage, compared with 19% of those who were moderately educated and 21% of those with the least education (high school dropouts).”

5. A woman is least likely to be unfaithful if her income is much less than her husband’s.

“A Cornell University study on income and infidelity found that women are least likely to stray when they are dependent on their male partner’s income. They may have fewer opportunities to cheat and may decide it isn’t worth it because their livelihood may be at risk.”

(SW: I suspect female hypergamy explains a lot of this, particularly among highly educated couples.)

6. A man is more likely to cheat if his wife is the main breadwinner.

“A Cornell University study on income and infidelity found that men who were completely dependent on their female partner’s income were five times more likely to cheat than men who contributed equally. However, when age, education level, income, religious attendance, and relationship satisfaction were taken into account, the relationship between economic dependence and infidelity disappeared.”

(SW: Similarly, I suspect that the male preference for relationship dominance is material here.)

“Ironically, the same Cornell University study found that men who bring home most of the household income are also more likely to cheat. Men were least likely to cheat when their partners made approximately 75% of their incomes.”

(SW: That sounds like the sweet spot of financial gain and relationship dynamics.)

7. Genetic testing could help determine how likely your partner is to cheat.

“Genes associated with sensation-seeking behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or gambling, also may be associated with sexual promiscuity and infidelity, according to a recent study. The study focused on the DRD4 gene, which is associated with other behaviors linked with reward and feeling good. People with a genetic variation of DRD4 called 7R+ were more likely to commit infidelity or be promiscuous; 50% of people with 7R+ reported being unfaithful, compared with 22% of people who did not have this genetic variation.”

03-12-2012, 09:45 PM	#90 (permalink)
Beowulf Banned Join Date: Dec 2011 Posts: 2,165	Re: WTF is wrong with Wives these days? From an article at WebMD about infidelity, some interesting findings: 1. ”56% of men who had affairs were happy in their marriage, according to a study by Helen Fisher, Ph.D., a biological anthropologist at Rutgers University and the author of Why Him? Why Her? and Why We Love. By comparison, only 34% of women who had affairs were happy or very happy in their marriage. Men are more likely to cite sexual motivations for infidelity and less likely to fall in love with an extramarital partner, Fisher tells WebMD. ”Women are more interested in supplementing their marriage or jumping ship than men are. For men, it is a secondary strategy as opposed to an alternate.” …Experts say that a large majority of the time, motivations for infidelity differ by gender, with men searching for more sex or attention and women looking to fill an emotional void. Men are more likely to cite sexual motivations for infidelity and less likely to fall in love with an extramarital partner. Women tend to have an emotional connection with their lover and are more likely to have an affair because of loneliness.” 2. ”Although infidelity is the main reason unmarried couples who are living together split up, the same is not true of married couples. Married couples often cite being incompatible or unable to communicate as the cause of their divorce.” 3. ”Statistics from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy suggest that 25% of husbands report having had sex outside of their marriage. When emotional affairs or sexual intimacies without intercourse (such as kissing) are included, the number jumps to 45%. Statistics from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy suggest that 15% of wives report having had sex outside of their marriage. When emotional affairs or sexual intimacies without intercourse (such as kissing) are included, the number jumps to 35%.” 4. ”A National Marriage Project study of 25- to 60-year-olds found that highly educated people are less likely to be unfaithful than their less educated peers. In the 2000s, 13% of college educated respondents reported sex outside their marriage, compared with 19% of those who were moderately educated and 21% of those with the least education (high school dropouts).” 5. A woman is least likely to be unfaithful if her income is much less than her husband’s. “A Cornell University study on income and infidelity found that women are least likely to stray when they are dependent on their male partner’s income. They may have fewer opportunities to cheat and may decide it isn’t worth it because their livelihood may be at risk.” (SW: I suspect female hypergamy explains a lot of this, particularly among highly educated couples.) 6. A man is more likely to cheat if his wife is the main breadwinner. “A Cornell University study on income and infidelity found that men who were completely dependent on their female partner’s income were five times more likely to cheat than men who contributed equally. However, when age, education level, income, religious attendance, and relationship satisfaction were taken into account, the relationship between economic dependence and infidelity disappeared.” (SW: Similarly, I suspect that the male preference for relationship dominance is material here.) “Ironically, the same Cornell University study found that men who bring home most of the household income are also more likely to cheat. Men were least likely to cheat when their partners made approximately 75% of their incomes.” (SW: That sounds like the sweet spot of financial gain and relationship dynamics.) 7. Genetic testing could help determine how likely your partner is to cheat. “Genes associated with sensation-seeking behaviors, such as drinking alcohol or gambling, also may be associated with sexual promiscuity and infidelity, according to a recent study. The study focused on the DRD4 gene, which is associated with other behaviors linked with reward and feeling good. People with a genetic variation of DRD4 called 7R+ were more likely to commit infidelity or be promiscuous; 50% of people with 7R+ reported being unfaithful, compared with 22% of people who did not have this genetic variation.”