Posted: 16:37, November 11, 2022 | Updated: 16:37, November 11, 2022
When George Michael sang about cheating on a partner and never wanting to dance again, he might have been on to something. That’s because men are more likely to report low self-esteem and reduced life satisfaction after a relationship — while women are the opposite, according to a study. Researchers from Tilburg University in the Netherlands collected data on German adults over the age of 12 and asked them about their well-being as well as their relationships. From a large group they focused on 609 people who had been involved in a case and 338 who had been a victim of one. The analysis revealed that overall, women who cheated reported an increase in self-esteem and life satisfaction after the relationship. Meanwhile, the opposite appeared to be true for men, who suffered more after adultery. When George Michael sang about cheating on a partner and never wanting to dance again, he might have been on to something. That’s because men are more likely to report low self-esteem and reduced life satisfaction after a relationship — while women are the opposite, according to a study (stock image)
Beware of anyone flirting with you online – it could ruin your relationship, study claims
Whether it’s in your Instagram DMs or through work Slack, many people enjoy online flirting and see it as harmless fun. But a new study has warned that these seemingly innocent interactions could be devastating to your relationships. Researchers from Reichman University have revealed how online dating can make your current partner less attractive in the real world. read more The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, states: “Our analyzes identified a group of participants who appear to recover and even thrive after infidelity… unfaithful women. “Potentially, women’s relationships are more likely to be the result of partner dissatisfaction, and therefore the relationship can be a wake-up call for their partners, leading to positive behavioral change. “A look at the results shows that male perpetrators were more negatively affected by the event.” Their results also revealed that cheating was preceded by a gradual decline in personal and relationship satisfaction over several years. This can be caused by a number of reasons – for example, a lack of honest communication or a major life event such as having a baby. “In perpetrators, this decline may be a reason for starting a relationship or even a deliberate distress management strategy,” the researchers wrote. “For victims, the decrease in well-being may be a result of the partner’s feeling of dissatisfaction or represent a causative factor that increases their likelihood of cheating. “Unhappiness has been associated with poor outcomes in social life in previous research. The analysis revealed that overall, women who cheated reported an increase in self-esteem and life satisfaction after the relationship (stock image) “Therefore, a decrease in personal well-being may make the prospective victim less attractive, contributing to partner infidelity.” Separate research has shown that if your friends are in relationships, you’re more likely to cheat too. Researchers from Reichman University in Israel found that when adultery becomes the norm, feelings of commitment to the current partner decrease while desire for an alternative partner increases. And they warned that the phenomenon appears to affect men more than women. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), infidelity is one of the most commonly cited reasons for divorce in the UK. A YouGov poll conducted in 2015 revealed that one in five Britons were in a relationship.
WHAT TACTICS DO PEOPLE USE TO STOP CHEATING?
Researchers at the University of New Brunswick asked 362 heterosexual adults how they resisted temptations to cheat while in a relationship.
- “Relationship Improvement” Seventy-five percent of the study’s respondents, who were between the ages of 19 and 63, chose “relationship improvement” as their primary tactic. This trick included things like going on dates with their partner, making an extra effort with their appearance around them, or having more sex with them.
- “Precautionary Avoidance” The second most popular was “precautionary avoidance,” which involved keeping one’s distance from temptation. In addition to physically avoiding the temptation, people also avoided coming close to talking to this person.
- “Aversion to temptation” The third and final tactic people used was “temptation deflection,” which involved feeling guilty and thinking about the tempting person in a negative light. Participants reported flirting less when they implemented the final “temptation deflection” strategy. But none of the strategies had an effect on levels of romantic infidelity, sexual infidelity and whether the relationship survived. Psychologist Dr. Alex Fradera, who was not involved in the research, said the findings show that little can be done once feelings of temptation have set in.
