study
People with this trait are most likely to be betrayed
© Kristina Korotkova / Shutterstock
Nobody deserves to be cheated on by their partner – it happens anyway! According to a study, it most often affects people with a very specific characteristic.
Many people experience infidelity in the course of their love life. Some are cheated on, others cheat and still others fall in love with someone who has already been cheated on and therefore has massive trust problems.
There are various theories and studies on which factors favor an affair. Some focus on the relationship and look in it for reasons why one of the partners cheated on the other. Others try to analyze the personality of cheaters and derive an explanation from it. And Ohio State University psychologist Meghna Mahambrey now has one for a change study examines who the cheated are actually and whether they might have something in common that could explain something.
method
In total, Mahambrey had almost 1,600 people questioned, on the one hand about their experiences with infidelity and on the other hand about their personality. For this purpose, the participants should apply personality traits from the Big Five model to themselves and state to what extent they apply to them, ie
- Openness (e.g. adventurous, curious, inquisitive)
- Conscientiousness (e.g. disciplined, responsible, reliable)
- Extraversion (e.g. sociable, extroverted, communicative)
- Compatibility (e.g. empathic, warm-hearted, caring)
- Neuroticism (e.g. moody, insecure, nervous)
Result
When evaluating the data, Mahambrey focused on the question of whether those who have already been cheated on by a partner have similarities in their personality profile – and indeed! 19 percent of the total of around 1,600 respondents said they had been cheated on before, and with regard to their personality, the scientist noticed one thing in common that set them apart from the rest of the test group: They described themselves as comparative slightly conscientious, ie rather unreliable, chaotic and carefree.
In a smaller subgroup of all respondents, those who were married at the time of the survey, the cheated were also less conscientious than the others, and they were also characterized by one higher tolerance off, ie were very warm and caring.
What does that tell us?
Cheating is and remains difficult to explain, but one thing is certain: Anyone who is betrayed is not to blame – at least not the only one! Certainly, a certain behavior can favor relationship problems and contribute to the fact that there is an affair. If you make your partner feel like you will forgive him everything, you may make it easier for him to cheat on him. And whoever signals “I won’t take it that much anyway and you can’t rely on me in case of doubt” may also do the same. But the one who cheats is ultimately free to choose and might as well behave differently – or should! Whoever loves his partner ultimately loves him for who he is and is unconditionally loyal to him. And if you don’t do that, you probably just don’t deserve the other.