Illicit EncountersIt’s never nice to be cheated on, especially if you feel you’re being fobbed off with daft excuses.
However, could it be that some people are just genetically inclined towards having it off with their next door neighbour while their loving partner nips out to Tesco?
I mean, personally speaking, my eyes are rolling around like a set of jingle bells right about now. But maybe there is actually something to these cheating habits, scientifically speaking…
Illicit EncountersAccording to a study from infidelity-focused dating website Illicit Encounters, we could be more likely to do the dirty if our parents were unfaithful too.
Results shows history appears to repeat itself for two-thirds of women whose mums had affairs. Approximately one third of participants (32%) felt their mother’s behaviour gave them ‘permission’ to cheat, as adultery ran in the family anyway and therefore wouldn’t be all that surprising.
The likelihood of men cheating if their fathers had was also found to be higher – although, interestingly, less so – with just over half of philandering men (52%) revealing their dads had also strayed.
Researchers at Illicit Encounters believe these findings suggest the possibility of a so-called ‘cheating gene’, which can be traced back through the family tree. And there are some who recognise this gene within themselves.
Illicit Encounters47-year-old Gweneth Lee, from Chelsea, West London, has apparently clocked up affairs with more than 100 married men over the course of the last decade. And she believes her genetic make-up is to blame, the Mirror reports.
Gweneth said:
Cheating runs in the family. Sons or daughters of cheats fear the disapproval of their parents far less because they know they have been unfaithful too.
One of the men I have been seeing is a wealthy banker from Cambridge whose mother has been married three times. He grew up with her dating a succession of different men and that affected his behaviour as he got older.
His mother is aware that he cheats on his wife and they have kept the secret between themselves. She told him, ‘Well, I can hardly start lecturing you after the way I’ve behaved’.
Lee – who started sleeping with married men after the death of her husband – continued:
Another of my lovers is a guy in his 30s whose parents were both unfaithful throughout his teenage years and while he was at university. It suited them to stay together while seeing other people.
He is married and cannot stay faithful. He said that the idea of sticking with one person for 50 years seemed pretty boring after he had seen how much fun his parents were having.
His wife has cheated on him, too – and both her parents were adulterers. I guess cheats attract other cheats – so they both know what to expect.
Paramount PicturesAccording to Lee, many of her female friends also partake in adulterous behaviour, and had mothers who also played away:
Some of them tell their mums all about their affairs. They have a good gossip about it. In some cases, their mothers are still having affairs anyway – so they are sharing tips on how to keep them secret.
Now, this is all very interesting indeed. But just don’t bet on your boyfriend or girlfriend forgiving you on account of your ‘cheating gene’ should they catch you with your pants down…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.