How does relationship length affect the likelihood of infidelity?
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Dr. Justin Lehmiller decided to examine how the likelihood of infidelity was related to relationship length. He primarily wanted to find out whether infidelity was more or less common when looking at couples who had been together for a very long time.
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The first study he relied on was a recent one published in the Journal of Sex Research. A total of 313 Israeli adults (average age 32-33) were surveyed. All were heterosexual and had been married for at least one year. Participants were asked about infidelity, and the researchers looked at how this was related to the length of their marriage.
Read also: Reasons for Infidelity in Relationships: Scientific Facts, Myths, and Excuses
Family Psychologist. For eight years, I have been saving “family units” from disintegration. I help couples restore love and understanding. Infidelity is possible.
Cheating in Relationships. Marina Travkova.
However, the picture was somewhat different for men and women. Specifically, for men, the likelihood of infidelity increased as the relationship lengthened (what scientists call a linear effect). However, for women, this effect was curvilinear: women reported the highest likelihood of infidelity in intermediate marriages, but the lowest likelihood of infidelity in short- and long-term marriages. In other words, both men and women seemed to experience the so-called “seven-year muzumi,” or desire for new sensations in the seventh year of marriage. Indeed, for women, this desire passed, while for men, it only worsened.
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