How common is cheating? How many people do you know in real life cheat/ get cheated on?

Question

The internet makes me pessimistic , seems like everyone got cheated on.
But in real life i don't know of anyone (family or friends) who got cheated on or cheated (men or women). Maybe because in the place I grew up, mixed gender interaction are not as laid back as they are elsewhere but generally speaking divorce is also quite low.

Do we just tend to share negative experiences more on the internet or is cheating actually really this widespread?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

The internet can be a terrible place to get information, especially on subjects that are politically charged such as gender and race because everyone has an agenda they are pushing so a lot of the information available is very skewed.

But there is good information available too if you are careful about where you look for it. Here's a solid and unbiased study that offers some insight to your question. The vast majority of people (men and women) never cheat. The stereotype that men cheat more than women holds true, but the difference is not as great and most people seem to think. For example, before age 50 the difference between men and women is only about 3%. And before age 30, women actually cheat more than men.

When looking at the graph below, focus on the numbers rather than the lines. Because the y axis ends at 30 the lines visually overstate the gender differences.

https://ifstudies.org/blog/who-cheats-more-the-demographics-of-cheating-in-america#:~:text=Between%202000%20and%202009%2C%20the,shifting%20gender%20gap%20in%20infidelity.

How common is cheating? How many people do you know in real life cheat/ get cheated on?

ItsTheNephilim · Accepted Answer

Not too common like internet but still not a rare thing. In my real life, I have only heard or seen of one or two people cheating. Others were/are either chasing out being chased while looking for other options. As for the internet, sites such as this are made for asking questions about issues people face in real life including bitter break ups and cheating so people are going to post about it. It'd rather make people go cringe if they'd share something like 'Hey! I'm so happy that my boyfriend proposed to me! What do you think about this?' and it's mostly the bad situations like cheating that people end up looking for support or ways to handle the situation and try to reduce the pain. Hope it answers your question.

FakeName123 · Answer

Statistically the number of cheaters is quite high - and that is assuming that not everyone even when anonymous will admit it.

I remember a report where a hospital tried to pick data on how many children aren't their fathers. They stopped it after a bit, because of some backlash - but they estimated around 15-20%. And that's just the times where cheating lead to children.

Either way, I fear the number is higher than we'd like to admit to ourselves. Character is what you do when no one watches. And many people do not have that strength to character. Let alone other elements that lead to cheating from malicious intent, alcohol, not enough care for the partner, stuck in an unhappy marriage, etc. The list is probably very long.

lol20075 · Answer

My boyfriend got cheated on some years ago by his ex fiancée, and I had a friend in high school who got cheated on but still got back together with him, only to find that he cheated again. Fortunately she's happily married to another better guy and just had her firstborn not too long ago.

0112358 · Answer

It's near universal in some circles and rare in others.

exitseven · Answer

There was a woman at work that had a thing for me a few years ago. She invited me to lunch one day and she was more than a little handsy. I liked her as a friend although I thought she was attractive. I would never chest on my wife so I stopped hanging around her. I guess she did before with someone else. I used to hear rumors about other people at work too.
My father cheated on my mother so I guess there is that.

Havok303 · Answer

My recently ex-wife cheated on me with 6 people in 6 months whilst still living with me... all unemployed, all younger than both of us. My girlfriend before that cheated on me with my best friend. Had two more exes cheat on me. However I have been unfaithful in the past, but only with people I had fallen in love with as much as my girlfriends. I regards the infidelities I have suffered as karma paying me back. I learn my lesson, and haven't been unfaithful for 20 years...

BCA6010 · Answer

~25-35% will actually do it, which means chances are pretty good that anyone who has dated more than a couple people will have been cheated on before, whether they know it or not. Honestly, I might've low-balled that number too.

Twalli · Answer

What is cheating? All studies done don't define it clearly. Some people consider porn cheating. Some people don't consider blowjobs cheating. Because the definition is not clear we don't know the actual statistics.

REALSTEEL · Answer

its pretty much a common thing anymore i never cheated but my x'd cheated on me i caught them in act

Hispanic-Cool-Guy · Answer

Study I seen about 50% of men will cheat at one point in their relationship, women around 37% will cheat one point in their relationship.

OlderAndWiser · Answer

My second wife cheated on me.

Tstrbrainer · Answer

Actually it happens, not everyone talks about it in public

EaterPeter · Answer

Pretty common. I think 80 to 99 percent people cheat

Slim57 · Answer

Very common unfortunately, I've been cheated on, my brother has, my coworker has, friends have

blondfrog · Answer

Its very common in the u. s.

COMMODOREII · Answer

Two of my exes cheated on me.

Luckycharms12 · Answer

Think we all get cheated on that's life

Anonymous · Answer

Lots and even I got cheated on

Anonymous · Answer

everyone cheats because everyone has lusted before

Kelly6 · Answer

Very common

Harleyguy · Answer

Way way to many

How common is cheating? How many people do you know in real life cheat/ get cheated on?

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