Cheaters or potential cheaters don’t move around with a neon sign on their foreheads, consistently flashing the words “Cheater incoming, clear the way!”
This would have made things simpler and saved many people a lot of heartache.
However, with all the talks about cheating, I am sure you are probably concerned about how to protect yourself from the dangerous effects of a cheating partner, and you may be wondering if there is a way to spot a cheater before you fall victim to one.
Really, there are no obvious physical signs that a person will cheat on you in the future.
Not what you were expecting, right?
Don’t lose hope.
There are a number of factors that may make someone more likely to cheat.
This article will examine these factors.
What Makes Someone More Likely To Cheat?- 10 Factors To Consider
1. Difficulty in controlling impulses
Several factors can make someone more likely to cheat, but this is among the most common of them all.
It’s actually a no-brainer.
If someone has difficulty controlling their impulses, how would they control them when they feel the urge to cheat?
The thing is, it doesn’t even sound like that to them.
The impulse comes subtly like this, “Todd, you know you are bored, and you need to have fun. Looks like Sally is down for some fun”.
It presents cheating to them as innocuous as just “having fun” with a friend.
The only thing is, the ” friend” is down to have more than a friendship with them.
For those who constantly crave an adrenaline rush, the risks associated with cheating may make it a more suitable pastime for them.
The sneaking around, the thrill of being caught, and the idea of doing something forbidden may present too great a temptation for a thrill seeker.
What am I saying?
I am saying thrill seekers are more likely to cheat on their partners than other people.
Of course, this is not absolute.
Many people fit this description and are still loyal to their partners.
2. Narcissistic tendencies
I could have just titled this “selfishness,” but to an extent, every person exhibits a little bit of selfishness.
However, narcissism does extreme justice to this set of people because they are extremely selfish.
They exhibit an intense need for flattery and attention.
They also show a shocking inability to consider the needs and feelings of others.
Ignoring other people’s feelings and needs is a conscious decision for most selfish people.
For narcissists, it is simply a knee-jerk reflex.
People who show these tendencies have a high potential to cheat on their partners.
They can do this because they can always rationalize that their partner doesn’t treat them as they deserve.
They also have little capacity to show empathy or consider the hurt their actions cause others.
These qualities are some of the things that make someone more likely to be a cheater.
If you are in a relationship with that someone and you believe they can’t cheat on you, narcissistic tendencies in a partner still don’t bode well for the relationship.
3. A family history of cheating
You would think that someone who has a family history of cheating would try their very best to avoid cheating on their spouse.
This is not supposed to be a far-fetched assumption because they have experienced the effects of cheating on a family.
However, this may not be the case in reality.
People who grew up in an atmosphere of cheating and betrayal are very likely to continue the trend by cheating on their partners.
The reason for this may not be so surprising when you finally come around to their way of thinking.
For some of them, cheating seems to be the normal course of things in relationships, and they believe that if they don’t cheat, their partners will do it.
So, why not just do it first?
There may be other reasons for this phenomenon.
Moreover, it is already proven that experiencing cheating as a kid may make someone more likely to cheat.
4. Fear of emotional intimacy
Developing a loving relationship involves deep emotional intimacy between partners.
I have noticed that it is hard for partners who are emotionally intimate to cheat on each other.
While this may sound weird, some people have a deep phobia of any form of emotional intimacy with another person.
For this sort of people, cheating is just another way to self-sabotage a good thing.
So, when they are in a relationship, and it seems like things are going smoothly, their phobia of emotional intimacy kicks in.
They may find it hard to maintain that kind of connection and, hence, may give in to the temptation to cheat.
When you find anyone who has issues being emotionally intimate with their partners, you have found someone very likely to cheat in the future.
Note that this doesn’t mean that everyone who doesn’t feel comfortable developing deep emotional ties with others is going to cheat.
It just means that without such deep connections, the sense of duty and loyalty to their partners may be absent.
5. Couples who have a completely different social life
When couples have a completely different social life, it may be another factor that makes it more likely for someone in the relationship to cheat.
Don’t get me wrong, it is good for couples to have specific activities that they enjoy.
However, when couples spend a lot of time apart, they spend it with other people.
Time spent apart actually weakens the connection between couples, especially when it is spent with people who provide adequate fun and companionship.
The fact is that a lot of people don’t start out wanting to cheat.
They end up finding themselves caught in this impossible situation with someone they had been spending a lot of time with and may have started developing feelings for.
Boom! They have cheated.
It doesn’t take much to develop feelings for someone.
Just spend a lot of time with someone you already like and see what happens.
This is why couples must always make time for each other and do things together.
Love must be nurtured tenderly, or it may wither away.
6. Fear of commitment
I can relate to this point because I have been told several times that I avoid making commitments constantly.
I never noticed it myself, though.
I am sure they are all lying to me, but fear of commitment is a powerful factor that makes someone more likely to cheat.
Fear of commitment is when someone obviously likes/loves you yet hesitates to make it official.
People with commitment issues are addicted to the excitement of getting into a new relationship.
The thrill of the chase makes them committed at first.
However, after the initial phase of the relationship, it becomes a chore for them.
They get bored when the relationship settles into a comfortable rhythm.
If you want to panic a commitment-phobic person, start talking and making plans for the future of the relationship.
This panic can set off a desire to sabotage the relationship by cheating on their partner.
For them, cheating is something they engage in to avoid being shackled in a serious relationship.
They would sometimes say things like, “I am a free soul, and I am not made for a cage.”
They think of the relationship as a cage and would cheat to be free.
The best way to handle this is to find out from the beginning what your potential partner’s intentions and needs are.
If they don’t want a long-term, monogamous relationship, you need to pay attention to this.
7. Their friends cheat
Ah! You would think that peer pressure is just a juvenile thing, but it is not so.
Even adults can fall for this, too!
If a person keeps company with people who are unfaithful in their relationships and cheat brazenly, you shouldn’t expect much from them either.
No matter how much they insist on being different, we are usually a reflection of the company we keep.
Evil communication corrupts good manners, they say.
8. They have cheated before
I know you don’t want to judge someone by their past, and trust me, as noble as that decision may be, you may be setting yourself up for heartbreak in the future.
Look around you; the signs are everywhere.
People who have cheated once have a higher chance of cheating again than someone who has never cheated.
The journal Nature discovered that people who had cheated in their first relationship had triple the chances of cheating in their next one.
Why is this so?
When people cheat once, they tend to come up with reasons to justify their infidelity, which makes them more desensitized to cheating in the future.
9. Cheating empaths
People who are always empathetic towards cheats are very likely to cheat, too.
If you have noticed that your partner always justifies cheaters, whether in conversations or social media banter, then there is a red flag.
For instance, they say, “Maybe the woman pushed him to cheat.”
Or they say, “Who knows what she went through in the marriage. He must’ve failed in his duty to her”.
Can you relate?
Truth be told, these people may be doing it subconsciously, which may be a pointer to a deeper mindset issue.
They may not be cheating yet and probably be carefree about it because they have seen it happen one too many times.
However, this doesn’t rule out the fact that their constant empathy towards cheats indicates an inherent tendency to do the same, too.
10. Unmet expectations
Whether it is actually due to actual dissatisfaction in the relationship or having unrealistic expectations, this is another factor that makes someone more likely to cheat.
For people who have unrealistic expectations, work should be done on their part to enjoy what they have in their relationship.
I know it’s pretty hard to do this with so many perfect portrayals of relationships in movies living rent-free in our heads, but it can be done.
Choosing to enjoy what is right before you rather than bothering about what could be will help you enjoy your relationship better.
If you are truly not being treated the way you deserve, this can be easily resolved by discussing with your partner and finding ways to improve the situation of things.