No one plans in advance to be unfaithful, but unfortunately sometimes they are. Partner infidelity is a traumatic experience and a painful topic, but emotions should not take over and cloud the ability to think critically and analytically.

Scientists are constantly analysing this unpleasant topic. According to rd.com, a study conducted at the University of California Irvine found that 11% of people in relationships have made a side step at least once. This significant percentage makes us constantly dwell on the topic of infidelity. The initiators of the follow-up study, which sought to establish the patterns of trust breaking, identified the point in a partnership at which the risk of infidelity starts to increase.

The links between specific stages of a relationship and the risk of infidelity became the subject of a recent study by the authors of "The Journal of Sex Research". The researchers analysed data from 423 questionnaires completed by study participants. The questionnaires asked respondents to rank 29 reasons for being unfaithful in order of importance.

As the data on marriage duration show, men's and women's tendencies towards infidelity do not begin to show at the same time. It turns out that women start thinking about cheating 6-10 years after cohabiting with a formal partner, while men feel a similar urge only after 11 years of married life.

Factors such as sex, religiosity and length of marriage are cited as factors that lead to infidelity. The study also helped to identify the characteristics of the person least likely to take a side step: the template is defined as "a religious woman who has not been married for a long time".

Of course, conclusions based only on the questionnaire answers and not on what actually happens should not be seen as an inevitable scenario. On the other hand, it would be naive to think that your marriage is immune to infidelity. You should therefore remember the importance of daily efforts to strengthen the bond with your partner.

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