US researchers from Florida State University followed 233
newly married couples for three-and-a-half years. They documented intimate
details about the couples' relationships, including marital satisfaction,
long-term commitment, whether they had engaged in infidelity and if they were
still together.
Following the years of study, they discovered that women who
considered themselves attractive were far more likely to be faithful. They also
found that women who had been promiscuous before getting married were less
likely to cheat. In contrast, less-attractive females who had limited sexual
experience were more likely to engage in extra-marital entanglements.
Writing in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
lead author Jim McNulty said: "The most notable predictors of infidelity
that varied across sex were own and partner attractiveness.
"Specifically, own attractiveness was negatively
associated with infidelity among women, but not men, suggesting that less
attractive women were more likely to engage in infidelity.
"Men were more likely to engage in an infidelity when
their partners were less attractive. This latter sex difference is consistent
with evidence that partner attractiveness is more important to men than it is
to women."
Surprisingly, the researchers found people satisfied with
sex in their relationship were more likely to cheat, perhaps suggesting they
felt more positive about sex in general and would seek it out regardless of how
they felt about their main relationship.
The study also found that people who are less likely to
stray are far better at removing their attention quickly from an attractive
stranger. Individuals who looked away from pictures of highly attractive people
a few hundred milliseconds faster than average were nearly 50 percent less
likely to have sex outside marriage.
"People are not necessarily aware of what they're doing
or why they're doing it," added Dr McNulty.
"These processes are largely spontaneous and
effortless, and they may be somewhat shaped by biology and/or early childhood
experiences."
"With the advent of social media, and thus the
increased availability of and access to alternative partners, understanding how
people avoid the temptation posed by alternative partners may be more relevant
than ever to understanding relationships."
In conclusion, if you want a quick roll in the hay, you know who to approach.
On the other hand, if you need stability, you also know where to find that.
Biko, this summary is based on the above study.
I wasn't there when opinions were collated, hence you must ignore my red ink on this one.
Wa Lamogun o!
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