Most People Who Have Cheated Usually Don't Regret It, Study Says

VIVA – Cheating is having a secret sexual relationship with someone who is not your husband, wife, or usual sexual partner. This is one of the dishonest behaviors. 

Unfortunately, most people who cheat on their partners do not feel regret, according to a new study. 

Instead of feeling guilty, the study found that those who cheated considered the affair very satisfying and said that it cannot hurt their marriage or healthy relationship. 

The study was conducted by Johns Hopkins from the University Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences using a sample of 2,000 users of Ashley Madison, a website that facilitates affairs. 

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Those who took part in the study were generally middle-aged men who reported high levels of love for their partners, but half said they were not sexually active with their partners.

"In popular media, television shows, movies, and books, people who have affairs have a strong sense of moral guilt and we didn't see that in this sample of participants," a study author Dr Ralph Bennett said. 

"Ratings for infidelity satisfaction were high, as were sexual satisfaction and emotional satisfaction. But feelings of regret were low. These findings paint a more complicated picture of infidelity than what we thought we knew," he added. 

The study found that the main reason why people have affairs is sexual dissatisfaction, and less common reasons include a desire for independence, sexual variety, underlying relationship problems, and a lack of love or anger towards their respective partners. 

Cheaters do it because they want new and exciting sexual experiences, or sometimes because they don't feel a strong commitment to their partner, not because of a need for emotional fulfillment.

"Sometimes they will have an affair even if their relationship is quite good. We don't see strong evidence here that someone's infidelity is associated with lower relationship quality or lower life satisfaction." Bennet explained. 

The study is evidence that maintaining monogamy or sexual exclusivity, especially across the human lifespan is "very, very difficult," 

He also added: "People just assume that their partner will be completely satisfied having sex with one person for the next 50 years of their life, but many people fail to do so. That doesn't mean everyone's relationship is doomed, it just means that infidelity may be a regular part of some people's relationships."

Many cheating partners feel no remorse when they have an affair. They are also less likely to feel guilty and cheat more often. 

A 2017 study from University College London found that someone who has had an affair is likely to do it again. And each time they do, the amount of guilt they feel decreases. 

"These findings reveal a biological mechanism that supports the 'slippery slope': what starts as a small act of dishonesty can escalate into a larger offense," the study said

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"Ratings for infidelity satisfaction were high, as were sexual satisfaction and emotional satisfaction. But feelings of regret were low. These findings paint a more complicated picture of infidelity than what we thought we knew," he added.