People in Power Positions More Likely to Cheat [Study]

If your spouse is successful and powerful in their job, then a new study indicates that you should be aware of the fact they are more likely to have an affair. The report comes by way of the Journal of Sex Research, and it indicates that out of 610 Dutch men and women, most exhibited “counternormative” traits once they were in a position of power — in other words, they were more likely to act outside the scope of social norms, and having an affair was right at the top of that list.

The study stated that “power’s relationship with infidelity was statistically mediated by increased attraction to the secrecy associated with infidelity.” That means the secrecy and taboo associated with the affair lent a special degree of power that the individual preferred to exploit.

“Power makes people focus their attention on physically attractive others, it increases romantic approach behavior, and it makes people optimistic in their perception of sexual interest in potential mates,” professor Joris Lammer wrote. “As a result, participants who hold a high power role in a mixed-sex interaction with strangers are more confident and self-assured than participants who are given a low-power role.”

According to Mic, the study is also a continuation of past studies that show successful people ($77,000 or more in income) tend to be more adventurous in the bedroom, “though, often, they suffer from low libidos due to long hours at the office,” the site notes, adding that “45% of people in high-earning positions have had a threesome, while 83% have tried having sex outside of the bedroom.”

While such behaviors could just as easily happen between married adults, the sameness of monogamy and marriage makes it less likely.

If you’re married to a successful person, don’t take these numbers too much to heart because they can’t exactly see inside your own dynamic and see if your relationship is a candidate for infidelity. It’s likely that an affair has other data points to consider. The best thing that you can do is try to be an interested, invested part of one another’s lives, and your odds of avoiding the “success curse” are much greater.