In a movie, there is a line that reads, "Love is the second name of cheating." In love, either a boy cheats on a girl or a girl cheats on the boy, and if neither has been cheating, then they have been cheating on love. " Cheating is the ultimate relationship violation and a notorious relationship killer. A favorite gossiping pastime, the phenomenon is often discussed but difficult to study.

But a new study published in the journal of sex and marital therapy says that around 87.9% of people cheat in their relationships(heterosexual). This study was conducted on 495 people. The participants admitted to cheating in their relationship and answered the question. The analysis published in Scientific American finds eight root causes of infidelity. anger, self-esteem, lack of love, low commitment, need for variety, neglect, sexual desire, and situation or circumstance. These motivations not only influenced why people cheated but also how long they did so, their sexual enjoyment, their emotional investment in the affair, and whether their primary relationship ended as a result.

The History

Once people began farming and domesticating animals, human societies underwent significant change, and we now live in an industrial society. They organized themselves around hierarchical political structures, private property, and densely populated settlements and saw a radical shift in the status of women and other configurations. Several types of evidence suggest that our pre-agricultural ancestors lived in groups where the most mature individuals would have had several ongoing sexual relationships at any given time. Though often casual, these relationships were not random or meaningless. Monogamy was unheard of in prehistoric times. Has monogamy led to cheating in our modern relationships?

Infidelity

Infidelity is one of the most difficult situations a person can face in a relationship and can have serious health consequences for those involved. While infidelity is typically a clandestine enterprise, some cheaters are intentionally less careful than others. Those cheating because of a lack of love went on more public dates and displayed more public affection toward their partner. These types of breakups are less painful when partners split up due to a lack of love. In these cases, they try to make others feel jealous. On the other hand, situational cheaters were less inclined to cheat out in the open, perhaps because they hoped to return to their primary relationship without getting caught.

India

A large part of India is a rural society where the bond of marriage is still strong. For many of us, marriage represents the union of two people who will be devoted to one another through good and bad times. But excess options at the workplace, social media platforms, and online dating sites are making Indians rethink the traditional approach to commitment.  A survey suggests that 55% of married Indians have cheated on their spouses. Further, 49% of married people in India confessed to having had an intimate relationship with someone other than their spouse, while almost 5 out of 10 have already indulged in casual sex.

Consequence

According to a study that was peer-reviewed and published in the family psychology journal, both those who commit infidelity and those who are the victims of it frequently suffer from detrimental intrapersonal effects like a loss of self-worth, an increased risk of mental health issues, guilt, and depression. So, cheating in a relationship gives you a great mental toll. Cheating that was motivated by a lack of love, a lack of commitment, or neglect was more likely to cause a relationship to fail. So, we need to ask, does love exist in a heterosexual relationship?