I recently wrote an article about my opinion on why we cheat. Then, just tonight, I noticed that I wasn't the only one interested in this, America Online was too. They had an article about cheating, the link to which was number 3 on their Welcome screen loop. However, their article was called “Why Do Men Cheat?” and I found it to be a little one-sided. Men are not the only ones who cheat. However, since they have stats and, you know, FACTS, I figured I may as well report the truth, rather than share more of my completely unsolicited opinion.
The reason behind AOL’s one-sided argument may be in their facts. According to them, a 2006 report from the National Opinion Research Center claims that 13% of married women have cheated, while the number for men was “nearly a quarter.” Wow. That’s almost one out of four. And it’s MARRIED people, not just dating, which means if you know four married men, chances are one of them’s cheated. That’s scary. But the women’s number isn’t much better. It just looks better by comparison.
However, the article also warns against assuming that cheating is all about sex. Scott Haltzman, M.D., the author of
Secrets of Happily Married Men* and a professor at Brown University, says that infidelity can occur completely devoid of sexual activity. An emotional affair could be considered cheating if there is sexual tension or if the “affair” is being kept secret from a spouse.
The next myth: those who cheat do so because they’ve fallen out of love. Not true! Most affairs, the article says, happen due to ego or lack of affection, not love. This means that love can be fine and infidelity could still occur, which is a scary thought.
The article also debunks myths like “once a cheater, always a cheater” and that those who cheat, do so with hotter, younger people. To view the article in full, just go to the following link:
http://body.aol.com/healthy-living/relationships/why-men-cheat-myths-facts?icid=100214839x1200853302x1200029219*In the AOL article, Haltzman’s book is mistakenly titled
Secrets of HAPPY Married Men. It’s actually supposed to be "Happily" (I looked it up) in case anyone’s looking for it.