How Men and Women REALLY Feel About Cheating PUBLISHED: JULY 22, 2014 | BY BRETTAN HAWKINS Based on the tabloids and your primetime channel lineup, it would seem like cheating and open relationships are borderline trendy right now. But regardless of how popular it is on shows like Mistresses and Satisfaction, how do people really feel about these less-than-traditional takes on happily ever after? A new survey by USA Network aimed to find out, and the results arent exactly good news for the hopeless romantics out there. Check out some of their surprising insights below: Cheating is Wrong—Unless You Wont Get Caught When it comes to cheating, it seems theres a huge double standard. Eighty-two percent of people polled said they have zero tolerance for cheating in their relationships; yet almost the exact same percentage—81 percent—also said they would cheat if there were zero consequences. Well, to be fair, wed do a lot of things if there were zero consequences… Certain Kinds of Cheating Are Kind of Allowed Meanwhile, a little more than half of people said they believe there are justifiable reasons to stray, whether driven by extreme unhappiness in a relationship or if the infidelity occurs with a celebrity crush. (Remember that next time you run into Ryan Gosling at Whole Foods!) Interestingly, the most accepted reason to justify cheating was to get back at a significant other who was unfaithful first. Since when do two cheating spouses lead to a happy relationship? Technology Makes Cheating Easier One thing was very clear in this study, which was that technology, from Tinder to texting, has definitely made it easier and more tempting to cheat, as 86 percent of those polled confirmed. And just because it starts online, that doesnt mean itll stay there: Only 31 percent admitted to straying in a digital though not physical relationship. If you fear Facebooks affect on your fidelity, check out five tips for preventing social media from wrecking your relationship. Its (Mostly) Harmless to Fantasize So what about those types of affairs that dont actually end up in the bedroom? Are they considered cheating, or are they simply fantasies? Interestingly, while 19 percent of men and 13.5 percent of women admitted theyve developed romantic feelings for someone they follow online but dont know in real life, 48 percent of those polled also said they don’t feel any guilt about fantasizing about someone else. Still, falling for someone outside your relationship is a recipe for disaster; Monogamy May Not Be Realistic The majority of people in the survey agreed that monogamy is a social expectation but not a biological reality, while 45 percent of people said that multiple long-term partners would be more realistic. And interestingly, one out of five men prefer a monogamish relationship…though we’re not entirely sure what that entails. But dont let these stats bum you out—the network only polled 1,000 people, so its possible that not everyone shares these beliefs. If youre worried about infidelity affecting your relationship, check out these factors that may predict cheating, plus what to do if it happens to you.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 14:02:19 +0000
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