Why do we cheat on those we love? Infidelity and marriage is like the chicken and the egg conundrum. Some say infidelity is one of the main reasons why marriages break up. It’s right up there with money troubles. Others say affairs are not the problem or the reason why couples divorce. Rather they are a symptom of other systemic problems in the union.  

So, which is it? Both, say the experts. “Affairs are the problem and symptom. Let’s put it this way, when there is a marital problem there are only so many ways to handle the problem,” said LeslieBeth Wish, 60, a psychologist and social worker based in Sarasota, Fla., who has been counseling couples in relationships for more than 30 years. “One way they choose to handle marital unhappiness is to have an affair. So now the affair has become the problem.”   

But if affairs are indicative of deeper issues within a marriage, they are not the only indication. In fact, stepping outside of the marriage is only one way to handle unhappiness and lack of fulfillment in a marriage. According to Wish, there are other ways, known as dormant structures, in which we handle those problems, such as compulsive behaviors such as drinking, excessive shopping, or gambling; incessant arguing with our spouses which can lead to domestic violence; over-involvement with the children; even depression which allows one to opt out of making adult decisions. Another very popular method is called emotional distancing.  

“That’s when no one talks. No one talks about the 500-pound gorilla in the room. They don’t talk about what they should be talking about. It’s basically a family that doesn’t rock the boat,” she said. “Another way is for someone to have an affair. It’s an escape valve, an extra exit door that leads to only to corridor because it is not a real exit.”   

While most therapists agree with Wish, that affairs are just the symptom, some disagree, adding that not every affair is an outcropping of marital unhappiness. According to research by the late Shirley Glass, a psychologist known for her insights, writings and study of the topic of infidelity, many an affair stems from a so-called perfect marriage. “It is really a myth that infidelity is a sign of a bad marriage,” said Michele Weiner-Davis, founder of www.divorcebusting.com and author of several books about marriage/relationships, whose practice is based in Boulder Colo. and Woodstock , Ill. “She interviewed a huge percentage of people who had affairs who said their marriages were not bad. They actually had nothing to complain about.”   

“But most therapists do believe that it is a symptom of a bad marriage. From my perspective, maybe 30 to 40 percent of the time, there are not significant problems in the relationship. But I am not a researcher and not a clinician. When I counsel people, I tend to see the problems that might have led to the affair.”   

Given that, why do people cheat on their spouses? “There are lots of reasons but probably the most common reason, is that people feel the need to be appreciated and have attention,” Weiner-Davis said. “So often our busy lives we take our spouses for granted, we start out thinking the world of them. But with careers and children, our day-to-day existence gets pretty mundane.”   

Others agree. Attention, said Alice Aspen March, a Los Angeles-based author of "The Attention Factor," is the only reason for cheating. “In a marriage, you can tell someone you love them all day long verbally but if you don’t demonstrate love, they don’t feel it. It’s like the drunk at the bar telling everyone, ‘I really love my family.’ But he’s not home with them is he?”   

And attention many times translates directly into sex. “Married sex is different from dating sex,” said Tina B. Tessina, 64, a Palm Beach, Calif.-based psychotherapist and author of "Money, Sex and Kids: Stop Fighting about the Three Things That Can Ruin Your Marriage (Adams Media 2008)". “If you don’t know how to make that transition, if you are expecting it to be automatic the way it was in dating, you are bound to be disappointed. A lot of couples don’t know how to have sex and intimacy, and that leaves a gaping hole. That hole is a temptation to fill it with someone else and going back to the dating type sex that you already know.”   

And maybe it just boils down to that. Sex. “Why do people have affairs? If you want the opinion from a guy with a lot of degrees but who has gotten his doctorate on the streets, I’ll tell you,” said Thomas Martin, president of Martin  Investigative Services, a private investigative service based in Long Beach, Calif. “Guys want to have sex. Women need to be loved and emotionally given encouragement.”    

While Martin admits that he isn’t a psychologist, he used the cumulative data gleaned from more than 30,000 marital surveillance cases of men and women having affairs conducted over the past 38 years of his career to compile the book, "If You Only Knew (Griffin Publishing)." 

“I don’t want to make it oversimplified but it’s all about sex. I’ve caught some very famous men in the act. And when I ask them, they say, 'I just wanted to get laid. But I do love my wife.' That’s what the guys tell me. It’s just sex...When I ask the women, ‘Why did you do it?’ and they always say, ‘Because my husband wasn’t giving me the emotional support I need,’” said the 61-year old former federal agent with FBI.