Why Do Men Cheat? 7 Underestimated Reasons Married Men Have Affairs

Yeah, I know. Infidelity is not the kind of thing most of us want to think about but it's happening so much that we should. How much? Geez, where do I begin?

One survey revealed that as much as 55 percent of men have cheated on their partner with five or more folks and 50 percent of women have cheated on their partner with at least one individual (by the way, most of those men met women online and most of the women met men in a social setting like a bar).

And why do so many of us cheat? I know you're gonna roll your eyes, but science claims a particular gene has at least a little to do with it. It's called the "allele 334" and scientists claim that men who don't have this gene tend to be in far more stable relationships. #Interesting.

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Then there are the ever-so-popular (and pretty well documented) reasons like not being sexually satisfied, not feeling emotionally connected, being an adrenaline-chaser (you know, always wanting something new), seeking revenge, or simply falling in love with someone else (a pretty informative read is "Latest Infidelity Statistics of USA").

But as someone who's dealt with a lot of infidelity with the married couples I've worked with, I believe cheating happens more due to things that have nothing to do with gene pools or finding love elsewhere. What I've encountered, time and time again, are the following seven reasons:

7 Reasons Men Cheat

1.Social Media

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Remember how I said that a lot of men find someone to cheat with online? Sure, there are dating apps that give us more access to people than ever, but what I've noticed is a lot of folks aren't cheating due to the new individuals they meet on Tinder. Frankly, more of them are cheating with exes who DM them on Instagram.

Although there are dozens of good things that come from social media, a downside is it gives virtually any and everyone access to you. Back in our parents' day, if they broke up with someone and changed their number, they had to randomly run into the person at the mall in order to be tempted. These days, all you have to do is type a name of a former flame in a search engine and—BOOM!

In counseling sessions, I personally have to debate leaving the past in the past with wives more than husbands, so I'll just say this—Eve had to hang around the tree and talk to the serpent before getting around to eat the fruit. I'll just leave that right there.

Feature image by Getty Images.

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