If He Has Any Of These 7 Personality Traits, He's More Likely To Cheat On You
If your man has this personality type, beware.
ArtOfPhotos/ Shutterstock Released in May 2018, Infidelity: Why Men and Women Cheat by Dr. Kenneth Rosenburg delves into the latest research on what causes certain people to be unfaithful to their partners.
Rosenburg highlights three determinants for cheating as well as the 7 common personality traits that make it more likely that a person will cheat on their significant other.
According to an article published by the Daily Mail, Rosenburg’s research points to issues with infidelity coming from all walks of life.
He has observed it in everyone from millennials with looser sexual standards to the elderly to people from religious backgrounds who claim to be happy in their marriages. This makes him think that sexual orientation, age, race, social economic status, and even religious background have little effect on your likelihood of cheating.
Statistically, there are certain groups with slightly higher rates of infidelity than others (I think we’ve all heard the statistic that men cheat more than women). Overall, however, all groups cheat — and it may be because they have the personality traits of a cheater.
Dr. Rosenburg argues that there are factors that DO make you (or your partner) more likely to cheat. Based on Dr. Rosenburg’s research of over 20 years in practice as a psychiatrist (with experience treating sexual issues), he has observed these factors that determine cheating behaviors.
Here are the three factors that determine cheating behaviors:
1. Brain
More accurately, the way your brain works chemically. Dr. Rosenburg thinks this has an effect on one’s tendency towards cheating. In fact, he proposes that roughly 50 percent of what distinguishes a cheater from a non-cheater is biological differences in brain chemicals. Ah. What a cop-out *wink, wink*.
2. Psychology
The way you think is based on the way you experience (or experience) the world and how you feel you fit into it. And how this developed the way you think about your romantic life.
3. Culture
The way your cultural background (or environment as a whole) shaped your beliefs on sex, love, and infidelity.
All three of these things basically boil down to the fact that the easier cheating is for you, the more likely you are to do it.
However, Dr. Rosenburg seems to think the BIGGEST indicator of a person’s ability to cheat is personality traits that make the individual feel entitled to cheat.
If he has any of these 7 personality traits, he's more likely to cheat on you:
1. Narcissism
This one is a bit on the nose. People with narcissistic tendencies tend to feel as if their needs supersede others’ needs. So, to the narcissist, maybe you haven’t met a need of his (you might not even know about it) so he feels entitled to get this need met somewhere else regardless of your need to not be cheated on.
2. Lack of empathy
The tendency to not consider the other's perspective seems to be a huge personality trait that leads people to infidelity. A man that lacks empathy may be unable to even consider how he would feel if the roles were reversed. If he seems to have issues seeing your perspective, this could be a huge issue — RUN! (only kind of kidding).
3. Grandiosity
A man that thinks he’s way better than he is (and perhaps thinks he is so good he can get away with cheating). This one is usually rooted in the need for validation of one’s sexual abilities (that needs to be validated with more than one partner).
4. Impulsiveness
This one is pretty obvious. Impulsiveness leads to not thinking things through. So, instead of considering the consequences of an affair, they may give into exciting situations spontaneously.
5. Thrill seeker
Let’s be real, monogamy is a lot of things (most of which are great, in my opinion), but it isn’t always that exciting. So, those with a thrill-seeking personality trait are more likely to get bored and crave the excitement that cheating can bring.
6. Avoidant attachment style
Basically, this one is just the stereotypical fear of commitment. It’s a stereotype for a reason I guess.
7. Self-destructive (or masochistic)
People that have self-destructive tendencies don’t always stick to poor habits around their health and financial decisions, they can also ruin their relationships with self-destructive cheating behaviors.
Nicole Bradley-Bernard is a writer with a Bachelor’s degree in Professional and Creative Writing. She works as a freelance writer for FINE Magazine and GreekRank.