Is your partner one of these five types of people that are more likely to cheat?
Experts say that certain personality and background traits increase the odds of a partner cheating
CERTAIN people are more likely to cheat, according to experts.
Anthropologist and infidelity expert Helen Fisher says that cheaters exhibit tell-tale personality traits or have other background factors that increase their odds of being adulterous.
Writing in her book Anatomy Of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray, she explained five factors that can be warning signs when it comes to a possible cheater.
1. Unstable childhood
Whether someone cheats or not could all come down to their experiences as a child.
In particular, it comes down to a person’s relationship with their parents – so it’s important to watch out for how they interact with their mum and dad.
Helen said: “Men and women who were securely attached to their parents during childhood tend to build more stable partnerships and engage in less infidelity, whereas those who were insecurely attached to parental figures are more likely to philander.”
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2. Personality
Apparently, those who are more “outgoing” and “adventurous” tend to be more prone to straying.
Helen says that this is because those who crave expanding their mind often can’t resist their bodily urges.
Those who “are less conscientious, less agreeable and more neurotic” also tend to be disloyal.
3. Power
Women who are more powerful in a relationship are more likely to seek out other sexual partners.
This is blamed on a power imbalance in the relationship.
Helen adds: “Wives who report that they ‘get their way’ more often during disagreements are more likely to have extramarital affairs.”
Popularity also plays a factor when it comes to being a potential love rat – with those who are more “socially desirable” more likely to cheat.
4. Education and job
Richer folk are more likely to indulge in an extra-marital affair, while the partner who isn’t the ‘breadwinner’ in the relationship tends to be more faithful.
Interestingly, American ladies are more likely to seek sex elsewhere if they’re smarter than their other half.
5. DNA
When push comes to shove, some reckon that cheating all comes down to a person’s DNA – with come believing that there’s even a specific cheating gene.
A recent study of 181 men and women, by researchers at Binghamton University, suggested that half of all people have a gene that makes them prone to being unfaithful to their partner.
According to lead researcher Justin Garcia, people with this DRD4 gene "were more likely to have a history of uncommitted sex, including one-night stands and acts of infidelity".