Infidelity is the act of adultery or marriage disloyalty. It could also be defined as a breach of trust. Trust is a critical factor in any relationship- from spouses to members on a sports team. So, the question becomes, why is putting your full trust in another person seen as the ultimate life goal?
Studies show that even from a young age, most people aspire to be married. They want someone to grow old with, share dreams with,, and go through all of life’s hurdles with. If these aspirations are the same aspirations that the majority of Americans have, then why do so many American marriages end in divorce? In the United States, fifty percent of a person’s first marriage ends in divorce (Friedman, 2015). This phenomenon is …show more content…
In all aspects of life, men and women seem to have different perspectives on situations. When it comes to love and lust the same is true. Men are more likely to fall in and out of love more often (Martins, Pereira, Andrade, Dattilio, Narciso, & Canavarro, 2016). The study that tested this theory found that two-thirds of men have claimed to have been in love more than twice. Only fourteen percent of women surveyed claimed to have been in love more than once (Martin, et al., 2016). Those statistics alone can be indirectly related to the sex’s diference in opinion of cheating. Men fall in and out of love more often than women. That can be explained by maternal versus paternal roles in child development. Women expend more energy on carrying a child than men do. So the stake to finding a mate to create offspring is higher for women. Men do not carry a child or provide it with the nutrients needed for survival during the first few months. With that way of thinking, it is a common trend in the present world to see women settling down at later ages or taking more time to commit to another person. This does mean that women will never cheat on men, nor does it mean that men are more likely to cheat. Instead it means, that women and men have different opinions and commitment levels with …show more content…
Research has shown that the likelihood of one’s capability to cheat is correlated with several genes. The Dopamine D4 receptor gene is linked to drug abuse and novelty seeking ( Lusher, Chandler, & Ball, 2001). Novelty seeking is a personality trait characterized by impulsive, exploratory, or sensation- seeking behavior. Another gene linked to cheating is the vasopressin receptor gene. Man-made Vasopressin is a drug used to treat diabetes insipidus, but the gene in the human genome is linked to social behaviors like trust, empathy and sexual bonding in humans and other animals. So a mutation in this gene can be linked to cheating. Vasopressin works with oxytocin to promote bonding in humans. A mutation in the oxytocin gene in women has been linked to promiscuity. Women can have all three genes expressed in their genome, but men only express the first two. Genetic markers like the polymorphisms listed above are correlated to cheating, but genetics are not the only variable that play a role in infidelity. The way a person is raised also pays a huge role in their ability to remain faithful. (Jackman, 2015) Studies show an average 15% increase in likeness of cheating if the parents are divorced. There is even more of an increase of 27% if one of the parents was caught cheating and that lead to the divorce. Young adults who grew up in a broken home are also at a disadvantage to remain faithful in relationships (Jackman, 2015).