Do married people regret cheating or not? The study that turns everything we thought upside down has just been done. Contrary to expectations, the unfaithful subjects of a study told what makes them translate their partner, and the answers will surprise you.
Why do some people cheat on their partner? The reasons are not among the expected ones
From Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo to Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren, several married celebrity couples have made headlines in recent years for cheating on their partners.
So while many of these stars apologize publicly after being caught, a new study suggests there’s a good chance they don’t regret their infidelities.
Surveyed in the study, users of an extramarital affairs website
Scientists at Johns Hopkins University surveyed people who use Ashley Madison, an extramarital affair website, about their views on infidelity.
The results of the study showed that people who use the site express little remorse about it and believe that infidelity does not affect their marriage in any way.
Moral guilt, present only in shows
“In popular media, television shows, movies and books, people who have affairs have this intense moral guilt, and we don’t see that in this sample of participants,” said Dr. Dylan Selterman, who led the study.
In the study, the research team aimed to understand the psychology of people who actively seek out and engage in extramarital affairs.
2000 infidels were questioned
They turned to the website Ashey Madison, where they surveyed 2,000 users both before and after they had committed infidelities. Those surveyed were asked about the status of their marriage, why they wanted to have an affair, and their general well-being.
The responses showed that the subjects generally reported high levels of love for their significant other.
Even so, they reported low levels of sexual satisfaction, and this was cited as the main motivation for having an affair.
What other motivations did the subjects invoke?
Other motivations included a desire for independence and a desire for sexual variety.
Very surprisingly, fundamental relationship problems, such as a lack of love or anger at a spouse, were the least cited reasons for infidelity.
Those who cheat do not regret anything they did
Also, having a strong marriage did not make infidels regret their infidelities.
“Ratings for relationship satisfaction were high – sexual satisfaction and emotional satisfaction. And feelings of regret were low. These findings paint a more complicated picture of infidelity compared to what we thought we knew,” concluded Dr. Dylan Selterman.