Is Adultery "Contagious"?

What effect does being near individuals who are prone to treachery have on our willpower? Can we be swayed in some way? Are you inclined to "break the wait" and begin doing the same? Reichman University in Israel academics have pondered. In a recent study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Conduct, researcher Gurit E Birnbaum and her colleagues wanted to see if people who learned about other people's unfaithful behavior were likely to be unfaithful in their own romantic relationships.

The authors reasoned that becoming aware of a largely unfaithful behavior (which in the specific example reached around 70%) might reduce desire and commitment to one's main spouse while raising attraction to an appealing alternative companion.

The authors' argument was that "knowing that others have additional relationships might make people feel more at ease possessing comparable views." To put their predictions to the test, the researchers performed three distinct investigations involving heterosexual monogamous couples.

What three research revealed

In the first research, Israeli college students who had been in a relationship for at least four months saw a relationship film in which infidelity was assessed to be 86% or 11%. The participants were then asked to write about a sexual fantasy involving someone other than their existing relationship. The study found that being exposed to a high rate of infidelity has no effect on the individual's attraction for either the current or an alternate spouse. However, the findings of investigations 2 and 3 were not consistent.

In the second research, Israeli college students who had been in a heterosexual relationship for at least a year read a 'confession' depicting their romantic infidelity (passionately kissing a colleague and concealing it from their spouse) or academic dishonesty (copying another student's papers).

Following that, participants were asked to look at 16 images of beautiful and ugly people and react as rapidly as possible if such people may represent a future romantic partner for them. Participants who had read about romantic infidelity responded "yes" to more photographs, indicating a greater interest in prospective new partners than those who had read about intellectual "betrayal."

In the third research, some Israeli college students who had been in heterosexual relationships for at least four months received the findings of a survey that assessed the incidence of romantic infidelity or academic fraud at 85%. Participants then used an instant messaging program to communicate with a research assistant. They submitted images of themselves and were presented a photo of an attractive man or woman as a messaging companion. The research assistant inquired about the participants' hobbies, interests, and dietary preferences, and at the end of the interview she stated, "You have certainly piqued my interest!" I hope to see you again, this time in person ».

The participant's reactions to the last statement were examined to confirm their interest in reviewing the interviewer. Finally, they were asked how attracted they were to the interviewer and how committed they were to their existing spouse.

The third research found that those who were exposed to romantic betrayal information were less committed to their relationships than those who were exposed to academic betrayal information. They also discovered that males were less devoted to their relationships than women, regardless of the situation of betrayal. Furthermore, individuals who had seen the findings of the romantic infidelity survey and thought the interviewer was more attractive were more likely to terminate the message exchange with the interviewer by expressing a wish for a second encounter.

Others' betrayal might endanger motivation

Regarding Your Relationship The authors argue that seeing infidelity might "normalize" it, making our present relationships more open to betrayal. In actuality, experiencing a "norm of infidelity" might reduce our motivation to defend our existing relationships, leaving us vulnerable to future infidelity. 

However, the authors warn out that considering other people as potential new partners and even wanting to see an attractive person again does not always imply committing to a relationship. The theory is that being exposed to adulterous conduct, for example, might make one's long-term objectives less significant, reducing feelings of guilt, or diminishing resistance to infidelity, lowering the incentive to defend the existing relationship. But the investigation continues…

Thank you for reading.

See you next time!

Wero