In today's era, the rapid development of society has brought about significant changes in people's lifestyles and values. In this context, the issue of loyalty in emotional relationships has become a growing concern, and the phenomenon of infidelity has become a hot and controversial topic.
In recent years, research on infidelity rates has been widely conducted around the world. American biologist Alfred King once surveyed a sample of more than 6,000 men, and the results showed that at least one-third of men had cheated on them.
A survey of nearly 1,000 American women also showed that 26% of women had an affair before the age of 40. Not only that, a foreign dating website conducted a decade-long tracking survey of the global cheating situation, and found that the highest cheating rate was in Thailand, a religious country in Asia, with a high proportion of 56%.
In China, research is also ongoing. In 1989, researcher Li Yinhe conducted a sample survey in Beijing and found that 6.4 percent of them admitted to having extramarital affairs.
In 2012, a joint survey by the Chinese University of China and the University of Chicago showed that the probability of cheating was 13.6% for men and only 4.2% for women. A 2016 survey of nearly 70,000 people showed that 40 percent of women and 60 percent of men cheated.
The differences in these data reflect the impact of a variety of factors. On the one hand, cheating is an immoral behavior, and many people may choose to hide or lie; On the other hand, differences in survey methods and sample selection may also lead to different results. Scholars have conducted an in-depth analysis of the cheating crowd and found some details that deserve attention. Among women, the proportion of cheating only once is much higher than the proportion of multiple cheating, and the age is mainly concentrated between 36 and 40 years old, with housewives having the highest probability of cheating, reaching 18.9%.
Moreover, 38% of these women cheated during an argument with their partner or during the Cold War. In contrast, men are much more likely to cheat multiple times than a single one, and there is no particular "specificity" in the scenarios and reasons for their cheating.
So, is there any basis for the statement that "there are only zero and countless times of cheating"? The actual situation shows that there is some truth in this statement. Among the cheating people, 40% of one-night stands occur within the circle of acquaintances, and one-third of them do not cut off contact because of this, but continue to maintain this improper relationship.
In a relationship, if a person has ever betrayed their partner, the likelihood of betraying again in the relationship increases significantly, even as high as 90%.
The reasons behind this phenomenon are manifold. From a biological point of view, this is related to a common phenomenon in the animal kingdom, the Coolidge effect.
It takes some time for male animals to come into heat again after mating unless a new female partner appears. Although humans are higher animals, this instinctive influence remains.
In addition, the role of dopamine is also an important factor. Dopamine is a pleasurable hormone that is secreted by intimate contact with the opposite sex of your choice.
However, this pleasure is usually short-lived, and as dopamine levels drop, the person enters a period of calm until the next intimate encounter stimulates its secretion again. To put it simply, the production of dopamine is closely related to the "sense of novelty", when people feel bored in a relationship, they will look for new stimuli to satisfy their pleasure.
Scientists have experimentally verified this phenomenon. They kept one male rat in heat with four female rats, and at first the male rat was very active, but over time his interest waned.
However, when the researchers introduced new female rats, the male rats were as active as before. This suggests that when dopamine completely dominates a person's brain, reason can be overwhelmed and the person will unconsciously become addicted to it, which can eventually lead to irreversible consequences.
Although some of the instinctive responses of humans may be affected by the Coolidge effect and dopamine, we cannot use this as an excuse to indulge our behavior. As creatures with a high degree of intelligence and morality, humans should learn to use reason to restrain their behavior.
In emotional relationships, we should strive to cultivate a deeper emotional connection and not just rely on the novelty that comes with a fleeting feeling of pleasure. A truly healthy, long-lasting relationship requires joint efforts, understanding and respect from both parties.
We should learn to discover the beauty of each other in ordinary days, deepen our relationship through shared experiences and growth, and not blindly pursue new stimuli.