# Why do people cheat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 22, 2012, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786 "2012-11-22T01:01:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/21 "2012-11-22T07:02:34Z")
I never cheated while I had a spouse. But I will say they is nothing more exciting than the first time you are with someone new. I can see someone bring intoxicated by that. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/22 "2012-11-22T07:43:56Z")
Pretty sure that my ex wanted out and was too chickenshit to be honest or direct about it so he leapt at the chance of having an affair when it presented itself and was deliberately careless in the hope I’d catch him and end our marriage. That didn’t work so he had to come clean but even then he never said he wanted our marriage to be over. I had to be the one to say those words (and then he cried :rolleyes: ). Don’t get me wrong, all the other stuff people have said are part of it - the thrill of the new and the forbidden particularly. I just think he was also hoping to get out of telling me our marriage was over by “accidentally” being caught. I base this on his paramour telling me afterwards that he kept saying things like “Can you imagine what would happen if she walked in and caught us now? I wish she would”. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/23 "2012-11-22T08:48:48Z")
People cheat 'cause there just aren’t any nice guys (or gals) out there anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/24 "2012-11-22T13:28:53Z")
I cheated on a bf because he kept accusing me of it and I figured if I had to listen to all that bullshit I may as well deserve it. Then I broke up with him. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/25 "2012-11-22T16:06:24Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > I think women mostly cheat because they are unhappy with their relationships. I think men mostly cheat because they want to fuck someone else. You always were a silver tongued devil 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/26 "2012-11-22T16:18:19Z")
Maybe a better question is why wouldn’t you? If tapping that new ass really means that much more than some implied promise of fidelity you made years ago, then why lock yourself in some ideological prison of your own making? Just be prepared to accept the consequences. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/27 "2012-11-22T18:02:58Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > I think women mostly cheat because they are unhappy with their relationships. I think men mostly cheat because they want to fuck someone else. Someone give this man a psychology degree. Seriously, I think that however much a man loves his partner, when he gets married (or thinks about getting married) a little part of his brain is still screaming in terror: "Hey! What are you doing, you dickhead? You realise that from now on you will only ever have sex with one person for the rest of your damn _life_? One. Do you realise how many women there are in the world? And you want to limit yourself to _ONE_? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/28 "2012-11-22T20:27:36Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I agree with you but I can only speak to the man’s perspective. I do know that if you are on a business trip and meet several beautiful women in a bar, you want to go for the one with a wedding ring on her finger because that has the best chance of success plus the lowest downside. She has something to lose and lots of pent up frustration. You can just have a good night and never hear from her again. You are generalizing from a sample of one here. The reason you personally are more successful with married women might be because you project a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am vibe, which would be more attractive to married convention goers. ---
**Author:** ![taskmgr.exe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@taskmgr.exe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taskmgr.exe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/29 "2012-11-22T20:28:10Z")
> [@Modern\_Master](#): > > I hear a lot of stories about people cheating on their spouses, and I’ve always wanted to know why people cheat. > > Why do you think people cheat? I cheat not. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/30 "2012-11-22T20:37:35Z")
They think it’s worth getting caught or they think they won’t get caught; either way they think it will benefit them more than not doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786/31 "2012-11-22T21:14:15Z")
People cheat because sex. Now, ‘sex’ delivers different things to different people, so it just depends on the person. But it’s always sex. Yes, even for women. 😉 That wife you can’t get into bed more than once a month would probably hit someone else in a minute. It’s just human nature. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-people-cheat/641786.md?page=1)