I haven’t ever cheated but I’m an armchair human development nerd and I’d assume that there are some things at play like:
Social narratives that make it seem like there’s only one true love out there for you (assuming the cheating here is only physical and not love).
There can be shame in divorce or breaking up.
There’s the sunk cost fallacy of staying with someone because you’ve put so many years into the relationship.
If there are kids, people can believe (whether it’s true or not) that it’s harmful to the kids to separate
People compartmentalize and can develop really weird cognitive dissonance where they build two realities and can operate as if the two have nothing to do with each other. It’s hard to explain.
All the other collateral with separating, like potentially moving, new financials and potential child support/alimony, custody challenges, health insurance through marriage, job shifts, etc. etc.
Before you angrily hit reply, dear reader, I’m not defending or condoning cheating. I’m just trying to answer the sociological question of why it’s a behavior that happens enough that we’re talking about it in this thread.
I haven’t ever cheated but I’m an armchair human development nerd and I’d assume that there are some things at play like:
Before you angrily hit reply, dear reader, I’m not defending or condoning cheating. I’m just trying to answer the sociological question of why it’s a behavior that happens enough that we’re talking about it in this thread.