Cheating stats

How are we supposed to deal with statistics like 1 out of every 2.7 men will cheat?

Do most people put much stock into stats like these? Maybe this is a dumb question but now that I've heard it, I'm finding it hard to put it out of my mind. It makes me feel like I'd be burying my head in the sand if I really believed that I'd never be cheated on.

Where did you get that stat from?

1 out of 2.7? Woah. Where did you find that information from?

And that stat would be way higher if you count the men who would cheat if they could get women interested easily. Being a girl is hard in this world, lots of confused/immoral guys out there. All you can do is to hope for good luck that you find one of the few gems.

1 out of 2.7? Woah. Where did you find that information from?

It's from Oprah's "Why Men Cheat" Controversy

There was a relationship expert, Gary Neuman, on the show and he wrote a book about cheating. Apparently his research led him to this stat.

It's from Oprah's "Why Men Cheat" Controversy

There was a relationship expert, Gary Neuman, on the show and he wrote a book about cheating. Apparently his research led him to this stat.

Wow. That is scary to think about...

How are we supposed to deal with statistics like 1 out of every 2.7 men will cheat?

 

Do most people put much stock into stats like these? Maybe this is a dumb question but now that I've heard it, I'm finding it hard to put it out of my mind. It makes me feel like I'd be burying my head in the sand if I really believed that I'd never be cheated on.

common, that's just a provocative statistic he "calculated" just to sell books.

let's think this rationally. if that's correct one out of three men you know will cheat or have cheated before. Can you actually confirm that in real life?

I have never will nor will I ever cheat, so that's one down.

common, that's just a provocative statistic he "calculated" just to sell books.

 

let's think this rationally. if that's correct one out of three men you know will cheat or have cheated before. Can you actually confirm that in real life?

 

I have never will nor will I ever cheat, so that's one down.

I desperately want to believe that the statistic does not reflect reality. I can't confirm anything. But I'm very happy to hear you have never cheated! I just feel really dejected, like there is no point to being in a relationship.

That's 37%. So according to him, 63% of men will not cheat. Guess we should be careful before we say "most men cheat" huh

That's 37%. So according to him, 63% of men will not cheat. Guess we should be careful before we say "most men cheat" huh

 

yes, thank

 

statistic has always been, and always will be about context.

 

when you present it like that it sounds much better

I guess to me it still sounds like 37% will and I can't seem to get beyond that figure - it just seems so high. And if you consider heloladies' comment, then the picture appears even bleaker.

I guess to me it still sounds like 37% will and I can't seem to get beyond that figure - it just seems so high. And if you consider heloladies' comment, then the picture appears even bleaker.

Oh have no doubt, the odds are stacked against you. That's the thing, the ones who succeed are the ones who are willing to deal with the pain and do what it takes to find someone special. Only the strong survive, the weak get left behind alone.

Assuming 37% is an accurate statistic, I'm also assuming it counts singular incidents of cheating. A guy that cheated once while he was a party boy in college is not necessarily a bad person and may not cheat later on in life. That should make it less scary.

That stat seems kind of low. I'd say it's more like 2 out of every 2.7. The .7 who don't are golden!

Most men are only as faithful as their options. I don't think I have more than 2 friends that has't cheated on their g/f, wife, fiance, whatever. I cheated on someone I loved and it ended the relationship. I would like to think that I would never cheat again on someone but I can't predict the future and as long as I stay out of situations where I know cheating is a good possibility, then I should be good. My cheating comes early on in a relationship, after being single and trying to get used to having a g/f, I act and don't think because that is how it was for months and months before her in single life. I know that isn't a good excuse and there aren't really any but that's how I justify it and that is what I am sticking with. What are the stats for women cheating because, just like my guy friends, most girls I know have cheated on their b/f and what not?

Probably about the same.

Personal experience is very valuable. But it is not a good indicator of what's really going on. It says more about us and our immediate environment than anything else. That's good for our happiness and our survival. But not for much else. For understanding a basic auestion like this one, you need at least some statistics.

Statistics on things like these are difficult to get right. The number of people who cheat is never likely to be known with any certainty. And, forgive me, people hawking books on Oprah should not be on anyone's list of reliable sources. Selling books is top of the scale here, not accurate reporting and interpretation.

That said, there is evidence that the rate of infidelity has risen for all people over the past few decades. And the rate of infideltiy for women is rising faster (starting from a lower percentage and catching up more quickly).

The 'why' is not for statisticians but other social 'scientists'. We can have our suspicions. I think that the (beneficial) increased economic independence of women is one reason that divorce is more prevalent. But this doesn't touch why infidelty is growing.

My belief is that cheating is a cheap way for television writers, movie directors and popular 'romance' novelists (and occasional higher literature) to appeal to the lowest commom demoninator and hook a wider audience. Its a cheap shot, like a comdeian sho uses foul language to substitute for otherwise weak comedic material.

I'll go a step further (and risk being called a sexist). Women are now much more often often portrayed as having sexual escapades much like men (all fun, no consequences, no remorse) which was a dubious characterization of men before and both both sexes now. So maybe its 'life becoming art' though I am sure others will say this is 'art becoming life'.

This of course can't be 'the' reason. But I think its big part.

What say all of you?

Raoul

I'd always heard it was ~50% for both genders.

Ok, so if most people accept that a good chunk of the population will cheat, how then do you rationalize being in a relationship if you do not want to be cheated on? Mentally, what should I tell myself? That it's likely my significant other will cheat on me, but that's ok, I'll be in this relationship anyway?

I do believe that a lot of what we see in the media has helped to normalize cheating behaviour.

Is choosing a man with very limited "options" the only way to ease my mind?

Is choosing a man with very limited "options" the only way to ease my mind?

There are lots of ways to reduce the odds that your SO cheats. Choosing a man with limited options is only one of them, and probably not a great method given that even a guy with limited options can pay for a prostitute.

Ok, so if most people accept that a good chunk of the population will cheat, how then do you rationalize being in a relationship if you do not want to be cheated on? Mentally, what should I tell myself? That it's likely my significant other will cheat on me, but that's ok, I'll be in this relationship anyway?

You cannot know the future. but, in my case, it was worth the risk. And if I had known then that I would be where I am right now (undergoing a terrible divorce with all the collateral damage they bring to children, family and friends) if I knew that our children would be here, I'd do it all again.

Well, I always figure that everyone's going to leave me in the end, either by choice or death. So I just choose to stay with them for as long as they want me too.

I'd always heard it was ~50% for both genders.

I think this is the divorce figure, with women initiating a larger percentage these days. I've never seen an estimate as high as half for those who cheat. Jeez I hope that's not right.

Raoul

I think this is the divorce figure, with women initiating a larger percentage these days. I've never seen an estimate as high as half for those who cheat. Jeez I hope that's not right.

 

Raoul

Nope, that's the infidelity figure I've seen.

Well, I always figure that everyone's going to leave me in the end, either by choice or death. So I just choose to stay with them for as long as they want me too.

But that's the thing. Apparently a man will not leave - that's the hard way out, I guess. Most women never know. And that is what bothers me the most.

I would much rather be dumped if my significant other was cheating than live out my days believing he was really committed to me when he was not in reality.