Cheating In Relationship: Genetic or Social Issue?

Published: 2021-07-08
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University of California, Santa Barbara
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Research paper
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It is very common for people to cheat on their partners in todays world; as technology has advanced, it becomes easier for people to be dishonest. Most of the people that cheat on their spouses typically give different reasons for their actions. In most cases, the actions of cheating are usually influenced by the expectations that the partners are having from each other during marriage. However, cheating does not revolve around just one or two reasons but several reasons. It is therefore important to explore all the categories to come up with the right response to the problem of cheating. Regarding expectations, there are usually a few expectations that both the man and woman have before agreeing to settle down together. The wife may expect that the husband has a particular ability, but later realize that they were wrong. Some of the expectations may be that the man would have higher sex drive while the man may have thought that the wife will have more skills in cooking or washing only to get disappointments later (Scutti, 12). This paper will show why people are environmentally impacted and forced to cheat to their significant other.

It is important to point out that most of the partners that cheat are never aware of what they do. Statistics have also shown that during marriages, people especially the groom and the bride are normally very happy that they will marry and join forever. However, at some point, people still cheat on their partners. For instance, a person who has been cheating may not be aware of the impact that their actions may have on their relationship before it is too late. According to statistics, about 30% to 60% of spouses that are married cheat in their relationships. The reasons behind the statistics are distinctively known and different for each victim of the cheating. Although there are some people that argue that cheating is normally invested in a persons DNA, it is also important to note that some of the reasons for cheating are environmental reasons.

Some people that are caught cheating on their significant other always attribute their actions to the certain situations that they are in at the moment. Most them say that they would never cheat on their partners, but they did so because of a certain environment that they were subjected to. According to the victims of cheating, some of the situations are more tempting compared to others. One of the situational reasons for cheating is spending most of the time in palaces with a lot of attractive people (Engle, 5). If a person especially a husband spends time around very attractive women, there are high chances that they are going to cheat on their wives. Moreover, the same case applies to the wife. If she spends time around attractive men, it is more likely that the men will lure her to commit infidelity.

Moreover, one may cheat because of working in a certain organization or due to the nature of the work. There are certain careers that involve constant touching of peoples body. For instance, in hospitals where nurses have to keep touching the body of the patients may evoke some feelings that may lead to infidelity. Moreover, other professions such as ones that involve close talks or lengthy discussions may lead to infidelity as well. Another environmental situation that may cause one to teach on their partners is when there is a gender imbalance in the workplace. In cases where the number of females is higher than that of males, it may also lead to some problems whereby infidelity cases may be on the rise.

In focusing on the locations, it is also important to point out that people living in certain locations tend to be more vulnerable to cheating compared to people living in other locations. For instance, urban areas cannot be compared with the rural areas regarding cheating. The fact that the cities and urban areas are highly populated creates an opportunity and increases the number of people to have sex with. In a rural setting, it is quite the opposite (Stritof, 9). The number of people that one can sleep with is less compared to the urban areas hence reducing the cases of infidelity. Furthermore, the rural areas have few people hence there is a high chance of getting caught in the act of infidelity.

Moreover, some of the incidents where people have to cheat in relationships have something to do with a member feeling ignored or underrepresented. Such feelings of loneliness make people so desperate for attention. In response to their desperation, they create room for new people in their lives. Whenever new persons start talking to them, they tend to be so excited and forget that they were in relationships in the first place. Experts say that when all these things happen, cases of infidelity are more likely to occur. In most cases, when people are in relationships, they dont tend to give the same attention that they gave to their spouses when they were in their early stages of the relationship. However, these are not indications that love has ended even though some partners feel that way hence opting to cheat as the only method to get attention.

Psychologists also argue that sometimes the daily activities may also have an effect on the relationship status of partners. Sometimes partners in relationships tend to lose contract due to the work that they do in everyday life. In most cases where people work in remote locations far away from home, it is more likely that they may cheat on each other due to loneliness. In cases where only one partner is working, and the other is left home, there is a chance that the partner left home is likely to feel lonely and may conform to infidelity since they feel lonely (Konnikova, 8). Whenever one partner is not available, it means that there is no emotional or physical connection and therefore it is easier for them to the person to seek for a connection with someone. As the experts explain the concept, the fact that one partner is not available automatically creates opportunities for the other meaning that anyone that may come their way will be suitable for them.

Although environmental factors prove to be one of the leading causes of infidelity, it is important to point out that certain genetic aspects make some people more likely to cheat compared to others. According to research, there is a particular receptor gene for infidelity and vasopressin in women which is not in men. Vasopressin is a hormone that affects peoples trust as well as empathy levels hence its very vital in sex drive and social behavior especially for people in relationships. The synthesis of the hormone occurs in the hypothalamus and is later stored in the posterior pituitary. After this, the hormone is then released into the bloodstream. However, vasopressin has a very short lifespan of about sixteen to twenty-four minutes, and hence it doesnt have a big effect on the person.

According to researchers, genes constitute to about 40 percent of infidelity in women and 64 percent of men. Oxytocin which is commonly referred as the love hormone is typically released in special conditions. The hormone is mostly released when people hug or kiss, while giving birth as well as while breastfeeding (Konnikova, 10). From the above findings, it is important to point out that genetics can simply cause people to cheat in relationships. However, genetic reasons dont have a big impact on the behavior of cheating couples.

More so, in the modern world now, financial statuses have caused certain people to cheat on their significant others. For instance, men that are high-earners are more likely to commit infidelity compared to those that have an average earning. It has also been found that women tend to be more likely to cheat if they gain more independence financially. Moreover, men that depend on their wives to provide everything are more likely to cheat compared to those that share the costs by half. Moreover, research has proven that people cheat more when they are in messy situations. Some of the conditions that people cheat is when the environment around them has a lot of graffiti or litter. It is also important to state that people are likely to cheat when they are told that their behavior of infidelity is as a result of the environment or the genes and not based on their own will (Scutti, 11). The fact that these people believe that their genes are those of cheaters, they automatically start cheating and may even justify their actions by saying that it is not their fault that they are not faithful to their loved ones.

In most cases, the act of cheating is normally done by people because they have selfish reasons. For example, a person may cheat because he/she wants to feel happier than he/she is in the current relationship. Moreover, some people cheat because they want to be more attractive than they are to their spouses. There are others who want to feel that people are chasing them. Most of the people that cheat normally deny their actions. They will say that they have not cheated and if are caught in situations that they cannot lie, they usually say have justifications for their behavior even when they know that it is wrong to do so. Later after cheating for a long time without much resentment from their spouses, it becomes a normal behavior, and they feel okay doing so. Ward and Wendy, (19), state that men are more likely to cheat in relationships compared to women. The reason behind this behavior is that most men feel so confident and also feel powerful to have full control over women compared to females.

Furthermore, it is important to point out that some of the actions of cheating come from the way people have been brought up from childhood. The family setting through which one grows from affects how people live their lives and the people they chose to commit to their lives. For instance, there are individuals who grew up in a nonstable family where parents used to fight and argue a lot. In such cases, these people may find it hard accepting and trusting their partners since they lived in a family where trust issues were very rampant (Scutti, 12). Moreover, a person that has grown in a stable family where disagreements are minimal and solved in amicable manners, they might find it easier to believe in other people, and such people usually feel secure that their partners will make them their priorities. For that reason, it is important to state that the issues of insecurity maybe as a result of the childhood manner of upbringing. These insecurities are the ones that usually cause infidelity among the couple. People who believe in their partners do not have trust issues, and these are the ones that have a lot of confidence in their relationships and hence are less likely to stray away from their partners. It is also important to point out that the ones that have a lot of insecurities are usually worried that their partner is cheating and these are the people that are more likely to cheat. Moreover, according to Ward (11), it is vital to state that people with high self-esteem are more likely to be honest in their relationships.

In conclusion, it is true to state that most of the cases where people cheat on their partners, it is not always caused by their genetic make but environmental issues. However, there are some genetic reasons as to why people commit infidelity. According to the above findings, it is clear that most people cheat because of the environmental reasons that are presented to them rather as opposed to their genetic making. Even though people cheat due to different reasons, some reasons are avoidable, and couples should try and solve them in the right means possible. Communication is key to every relationship or marriage, and hence if partners keep talk out their disagreements, it is easier to keep them from committing infidelity.

Works Cited

Cann, Arnie, Jessica L. Mangum, and Marissa W...

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