Most of us, regardless of our relationship style, fear being cheated on. The experience of having your boundaries and trust broken by someone you love can be extremely painful. Despite that fact, rates of infidelity continue to be high, suggesting that infidelity is the norm rather than the exception. So what’s the reason behind this? Why do we cheat?

In this episode, Dr. Valeria and I use a recent study as a starting point for a discussion on the most common reasons why people cheat. We go in-depth on each reason and share our perspective on why it is so common and what can be done to resolve it or at least minimize the threat of infidelity.

Tune in to Episode 82 of the Get Sex Smart Podcast to find out:

• whether or not humans are suited to monogamy
• about recent research on monogamy and consensual nonmonogamy
• the difference between consensual nonmonogamy and infidelity
• why consensual nonmonogamy isn’t protection against cheating
• the eight main reasons that people cheat and how some of them can be resolved as they appear
• the danger of making assumptions without communicating with your partner(s) about boundaries first
• the role of sexual incompatibility and sexual desire, and the reasons people end up being sexually incompatible
• advice on how to prevent issues by communicating clearly early in the relationship
• why love is a verb, not a feeling
• why people often feel tempted to cheat on vacation (or in any other situation where one can “reinvent” themselves)