Emotional Vs. Sexual Cheating: The Infographic You Have To See
When it comes to cheating, men and women view what's "worse" completely differently.
Anyone who's ever been cheated on can tell you it's probably one of the worst things that can happen. So much trust is broken, and many relationships can't overcome the actions of either that one night, a series of nights or, in worst-case scenarios, a love affair. But is an affair worse than a one-night stand, a moment of passion in which your partner lost complete control of themselves and just "went for it?" EliteSingles' most recent survey found that when it comes to cheating, men and women view what's "worse" completely differently.
It's no shock that one it comes to faithfulness women put more stock in the emotional end of things than the physical, and this study confirms it. Of the 667 single participants, 65 percent of men said that sexual unfaithfulness was far worse than an emotional one, whereas 55 percent of women felt that it would be the emotional unfaithfulness of their partner that would hurt the most. These numbers go hand-in-hand, from what we've always been told, that men are more likely to cheat, sexually anyway, at 43 percent, while only 30 percent of women admitted to engaging in the temptation of the flesh. However, our temptations don't just stop at sweaty one-nighters, but for us ladies, we're far more liable to fall in love, as opposed to just keeping things as NSA situations. While only 12 percent of men said they'd fallen in love with the person with whom they cheated, 27 percent of women claimed the same. We're all heart, you guys, so what do you expect?
But why do people cheat in the first place? Is it because we can, or is it indicative of issues within the relationship? Well, sometimes you just want to have sex with another person for a change and you really can't pinpoint any other reason for it. Fifty-five percent of men and 32 percent of women ventured off with someone else just for that reason alone, with 25 percent of men and 35 percent of women citing boredom as a main reason for their straying. This is why you're supposed to keep things spicy in the bedroom with your box of Fifty Shades of Grey goodies nearby … at least that's what I've been told.
In a more interesting excuse to getting it on with someone who wasn't their partner, revenge sex did come up. Why? Because sometimes the best revenge is the one that's served colder than ice and nothing is colder than sleeping with someone else. It was women who were more likely to cheat out of revenge at 11 percent, while only 7 percent of dudes took this route.
With all this cheating going on, it does force one to wonder if there's any forgiving coming into play, too. Well, there is, but not much. Only 20 percent of men and women are willing to forgive cheating, no matter what the reason had been for the cheating in the first place. It's nice to see a strong 80 percent not standing for such a betrayal and jumping ship before it happens again. But where do these recently heartbroken folks go to start again? If you guessed their bedroom to cry, you're wrong, well, maybe some do, but you can find at least 30 percent of them prowling the online dating circuit to try to learn to love again. Good for them! Because you know what they say when you fall off that horse, right? Get some ice cream, watch Orange Is the New Black, and set up a new dating profile stat.
Which do you think is worse — emotional or sexual infidelity? Tell us in the comments below.