Is anyone faithful anymore? Infidelity in the age of Technology.

If you’ve been cheated on, this article might upset you. If you’ve never been cheated on this article may concern you.

Infidelity sucks. Nothing feels worse than being betrayed by someone close to you. In 2017, infidelity is a murky business. Modern technology allows more people to connect than ever before - but this has drawbacks, enabling people to conduct extramarital affairs, both physical and emotional. Recent infidelity statistics suggest that in over ? of marriages, one or both partners admit to cheating.

We hope you’ll never end up with directly experiencing these infidelity statistics, but sometimes, it pays to understand the cold hard numbers - if only so you know where you stand. Here's a quick primer on infidelity statistics as we head into 2017, and the who, when, why, and how someone cheats.

Infidelity Statistics 

?         In over 1/3 of marriages, one or both partners admit to cheating.

?         22% of men say that they've cheated on their significant other.

?        14% of women admit to cheating on their significant other.

?        36% of men and women admit to having an affair with a coworker.

?        17% of men and women admit to having an affair with a sister-in-law or brother-in-law.

?        People who have cheated before are 350% more likely to cheat again.

?        Affairs are most likely to occur two years into a marriage.

?        35% of men and women admit to cheating while on a business trip.

?        9% of men admit they might have an affair to get back at a spouse.

?        14% of women admit they might have an affair to get back at a spouse.

?        10% of affairs begin online.

?        40% of the time online affairs turn into real life affairs.

Who?

A study from late 2016 suggests that men are somewhat more likely to cheat than women. According to the Associated Press and the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 22% of men say that they've cheated on their significant other at least once during their marriage, and 14% of wives admit to straying.

These statistics also suggests that people are most likely to have affairs with co-workers. As many as 36% of men and women say that they've had an affair with someone they work with. Somewhat surprisingly, 17% admit to having an affair with a sister-in-law or brother-in-law.

Perhaps most telling is that the maxim “once a cheater, always a cheater” appears to be founded in fact. People who have cheated before are 350% more likely to cheat again than those that haven’t.

When?

Unfortunately, existing infidelity statistics suggests that cheating can come at any point in a relationship, from new relationships to solid, seemingly happy relationships. Statistically, however, affairs are most likely to occur two years in a marriage. There are certain places and circumstances where infidelity becomes more likely - for instance, as many as 35% of men and women, for example, admit to cheating on a partner while on a business trip.

Why?

Oh boy, this is a complicated one. There are countless reasons for infidelity. Sometimes it seems to be caused by sexual dissatisfaction or incompatibility. Many men and women pursue extra-marital relationships because they want to enhance their sex lives. It can also be caused by emotional dissatisfaction - perhaps a spouse is feeling neglected or unappreciated. Affairs can provide someone with the personal validation and emotional intimacy they feel their primary relationship is lacking.

Of course, sometimes people simply grow apart. Affairs can be an expression of a partner's growing feeling of physical and emotional distance. Sometimes people fall in love with someone else - but this statistically infrequent reason for cheating. Revenge is also a rare motivation. Of men, 9% admitted they might have an affair to get back at a spouse, and 14% of women cited revenge as a reason for cheating.

Other reasons for cheating include a desire for more sexual partners and pure curiosity. Most people who are unfaithful, however, seem to be seeking emotional or physical comfort. They may feel that their primary relationship is lacking, or they may feel that they need external validation.

How?

Technology brings change - and infidelity is subject to that change too. In 2017, there are many new ways for cheating spouses to conduct affairs (although the old ones haven’t lost currency). Modern technology is a constant temptation due to its secrecy and prevalence. People can seek out new partners via dating apps. They can connect with old partners on Facebook or Twitter. They can carry on flirtations with co-workers over email. Thanks to these factors, 10% of affairs now begin online.

Perhaps worst of all, there are also now apps and websites and Online Games dedicated to helping spouses cheat. Apps like Hide My Calls and Hide My Texts also give people the ability to hide communications received from specific contacts. There is also websites tailor made for the purpose like Ashley Madison, an online dating service for married people looking to stray. Just as technology lets people send flowers to a loved one from across the globe, technology also facilitates affairs, making them easier to hide than ever before.

The rise of technology also appears to have changed how we think about cheating. Before strangers could strike up online conversations, people had to seek out relationships in person. Online communication is much more ambiguous, and less inhibited, and this leads to people becoming intimate more quickly. Freed from the constraints of the real world, they share information they otherwise may not feel comfortable sharing.

This has forced couples to renegotiate what they do and do not consider cheating. For example, if someone is carrying on a text-based emotional affair with a person they met online, does that count as cheating? Or is that something a partner should forgive? As technology advances, the lines become increasingly blurred. While some internet affairs remain in the online realm, others lead to real life encounters. According to one study, 40% of the time online affairs turn into real life affairs.

Do we need to be concerned and is there anything that we can do as internet technology advances and the lines of what's considered cheating seem to be blurry