3 Personality traits tightly correlated with cheating…
Thursday, October 19, 2023.
Here’s a comment on how widespread personality disorders are shattering intimacy in American families...
Up to 50% of Americans admit cheating on their partner.
Infidelity in the USA is becoming more normalized. Up to 50% of people admit cheating on their partner, the authors write:
“Early studies (from over 30 years ago) reported that by the age of 40, 50% of all married men and more than 25% of all married women have engaged in extramarital sexual behavior.
Three decades later, an estimated 50% of men continued to engage in sexual and/or emotional extramarital relations while 40% of women engaged in similar relationships.”
Here are 2 of the 3 Personality Traits of Unreliable Souls…
Low Conscientiousness. I’ve mentioned this before. Humans who are low on conscientiousness are far more likely to be unfaithful, according to research. Humans who are lack conscientious are sloppy, careless, poorly organized, and often break the rules at work. They suffer from demonstrably poor impulse control.
High Extroversion: Humans who are more extroverted are also more likely to cheat on their partner, the researchers found.
I think it’s a function of the relentless math of the situation. Extroverted humans, especially those who are “attractive others” may have a deep bench of admirers, and therefore more chances to cheat.
Another problem with those pesky extroverts is that they are often are impulsive, sensation-seekers who can easily yield to temptation.
How the study was conducted
The conclusions come from a survey of over 200 humans ( ok, 208 to be exact). They were all asked about their intimate relationships, and whether or not they had ever cheated.
The research revealed that cheaters tend to be low in conscientiousness, extroverted, and open to experience.
Extroverts tend to seek out stimulation, the authors write:
“Extroverts may be inclined to cheat to obtain stimulation and prevent boredom.
Extroversion may also facilitate less investment in the relationship when those with this trait seek out others for stimulation, thereby decreasing commitment and resulting in cheating behaviors.”
Here’s the last personality trait to note:
Openness to Experience: The third personality trait associated with infidelity is openness to experience.
Openness to experience is linked to intellect, and creativity.
The authors explain:
“…cheaters may perceive themselves as having stronger intellect and stronger creativity compared to that of their partners, leading them to seek out partners that may be a better, that is, similar, match.”
That sounds like just another narcissistic iteration to me.
Final thoughts
If we focus on building healthier families of origin, If we can find a way to be more soulful on our parenting, we might be able to “train out”, (perhaps over a generation or two), this widespread epidemic of personality disorders, which produce an inter-personal chaos that echoes through time.
Be well. Stay kind, and Godspeed.
RESEARCH:
Orzeck, T., Lung, E. Big-five personality differences of cheaters and non-cheaters. Curr Psychol 24, 274–286 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-005-1028-3
