Does the recession make men want to cheat?
A new study finds that a threatening environment, such as the recession, causes men to want to cheat. The new research will appear in the November issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
“The study, by Omri Gillath of the University of Kansas, is founded in evolutionary psychology, arguing that when faced with a threatening environment, men are hard-wired to seek short-term mating strategies to ensure their genes survive.”
“We’re biologically wired to reproduce, and the environment tells us the best strategy to use to make sure our genes are passed on,” Gillath told Science Daily. “When the environment is secure and you have enough food and things are working the way you would like them to, people are more likely to invest in their existing kids and stay with their current partner or prefer long-term mating strategies,” said Gillath. “But if the environment is dangerous and your chances of survival are low — if there is a famine or more enemies — then people will adopt short-term strategies which allow them to reproduce more.”
The article points out that this research disagrees with another sex expert who thinks that failing as a provider actually kills a man’s libido.
“The findings seem to contradict advice Dr. Drew’s sex expert, Simone Bienne, gave last month. In an article entitled “Men Going Through A Sex Recession,” Bienne told women that the recession has cause squelched male libido. “When men don’t feel like they can provide for their families, they can lose their mojo,” she said, adding that “Stress is the biggest libido zapper we know, and for a man, it’s specifically cash flow and work-related issues that can bring his drive way down.”
Based on friends who have gone through husbands losing jobs or taking tremendous pay cuts, I tend to agree with Bienne more so than the Kansas study. The men feel terrible about themselves. They aren’t communicating well with their wives and the wives are mad and the whole relationship is out of kilter. (So maybe then they do cheat?)
“Shape” magazine offers a different view on the recession and sex. It says that women are actually having sex 17 percent than the average man since the recession. And the survey says women are equally attracted to a partner who has been laid off.
“If their sex drives have intensified since the recession began, men may be in good company: A survey of over 3,000 readers of Shape and Men’s Fitness magazines on sex and the recession from 2009 found that “women are having sex 17 percent more than the average man since the recession.” But the same survey also showed that most women are equally attracted to the partner if he has been laid off, suggesting that unlike for men, the detected increase in libido wouldn’t necessarily induce women to stray.”
“The creators of the survey partially attributed the increase in women’s libidos to their greater willingness to openly discuss what they are worried about, thereby alleviating stress and advised men to talk more about their anxieties.”
I think this depends on if they blame their husbands for the economic downturn or if they still feel like they are on the same team. The “Shape” editor suggests that couples should weather the stress together by having sex.
So what do you think? What have you experienced?
Has the recession cause your husband or other husbands to cheat to protect his genes?
Does he feel so crappy about his lack of ability to provide that he doesn’t want to have sex?
Is a wife as attracted to a husband without a job as one with one?
Are you having more sex during the recession?
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78 comments Add your comment
Does the recession make men want to cheat? – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) | newzbuff.com
October 21st, 2011
1:25 am
[...] Does the recession make men want to cheat?Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)The new research will appear in the November issue of the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. “The study, by Omri Gillath of the University of Kansas, is founded in evolutionary psychology, arguing that when faced with a threatening environment, …Sex And The Recession: Do Economic Woes Give Men A Biological Excuse to Cheat?Huffington Post [...]
Jeff
October 21st, 2011
5:20 am
TWG, honey, I love ya but there are so many things wrong with this article, I’m surprised you would even put it out there.
Mark
October 21st, 2011
6:47 am
It’s nobodies business how often we have sex, but I can tell you it’s fantastic even after 29 years of marriage. As for cheating, the only influences on that are your own honor and integrity.
“Honor is a gift a man gives himself, that no man can ever take away.” – Rob Roy McGregor
Well.....
October 21st, 2011
6:47 am
It probably depends on the wife. No way I’d cheat on mine as she is damn near perfect….but some of my friends wives……
MomsRule
October 21st, 2011
6:52 am
Cheat to protect his genes? Oh come on. “Gee..I want to mess around so what new excuse can I come up with to make it not my fault.”
Typical Democrat
October 21st, 2011
6:58 am
Obama is doing a great job! The stimulus is working! Our problems are behind us!
DBH
October 21st, 2011
6:59 am
I’m not married but, um, lemme try and get this straight anyway. I cheat on my wife because of a recession so I can pass on my genes, thereby creating even more mouths to feed during a bad economy? Uh-huh. Makes perfect sense. /sarcasm
djs_NC
October 21st, 2011
7:02 am
excuses excuses…oh im so worried about money i need to cheat. right.
shaggy
October 21st, 2011
7:13 am
Bad article, flawed peudo-study.
I just dropped a line on the tattoo story that might explain why I don’t cheat, regardless of the state of the economy or naked women standing right in front of me. Been there many times. Done that many times.
I exhausted all of that out of me as a horny young man and just don’t require it anymore.
Kat
October 21st, 2011
7:13 am
Omri Gillath must have been a bad boy somewhere along the lines, so now he is making up some “research.” You think the recession is hostile…
@Mark: If it’s not our business, why make it so by saying what it’s like. Those who talk the most, have it the least right?
Show Low
October 21st, 2011
7:37 am
men scummy enough to cheat don’t need a reason…
Fred
October 21st, 2011
7:41 am
No-good, scum bag losers, with no honor or integrity cheat. Male or female. It’s their lack of character, not any other reason that causes them to do so. It’s really quite simple. Either you ARE a scum bag or you AREN’T.
DBH
October 21st, 2011
7:41 am
@Show Low: Nor do women who are “scummy enough” to cheat with them.
Almost @ 15 year anniversary
October 21st, 2011
7:42 am
Well, there is no way my husband of almost 15 years could claim this since he couldn’t give me a baby. His gene’s aren’t surviving anything. :sad:
Ken
October 21st, 2011
7:43 am
So cheating is normal!! Especially during hard times. PLEASE don’t tell my wife!!
Reality
October 21st, 2011
7:47 am
Recessions cause marital problems for couples far beyond cheating. It means a lifestyle change that for many,especially women(and yes I am one) to seek out a new partner who can sustain them in the lifestyle they have become accustom to or seek divorce. I don’t agree with it but that does happen.
As far as cheating..good times or bad times spouses cheat …I don’t believe that the recession makes any difference in that ….
Funny
October 21st, 2011
7:51 am
Actually know of a case when this guy lost everything in his mortgage business and his mom who never liked the wife has become sooooo nice to her…guess SHE is the one afraid of one of them cheating, ending up divorced and in her house!!!!…maybe the article should be about fears and divorces in a recession…
Ender J.
October 21st, 2011
8:05 am
What an interesting topic. I’m a biologist and the initial theory is strongly supported by other species. For example, when weather is cold and lips are chapped, people get more cold sores because the virus causing them is feeling attacked and seeks out new cells to infect to ensure survival of its progeny.
If I had to give an opinion, a man’s actions would depend on the wife. In a recession, men definitely feel intense stress. If you know your wife is in it for the long haul, you’ll stay faithful. On the other hand, if she is giving you grief about money, I can easily see men straying. In other words, straying means you can still have sex, something we’re hardwired for, but without the concommitant commitment to provide for her and your progeny.
As an aside, to the person who thought it was logical to say that a man wouldn’t stray because having more kids would just mean more mouths to feed… Nature doesn’t work that way, son. Just look at all the feral cats out there. It’s survival of the fittest, our genes don’t have sentient minds, they’re just structurally built to reproduce and hope they’re the best at it…
NAGA
October 21st, 2011
8:07 am
Why focus only on men??? Women are cheating today more and more often.
The men I work with/have worked with complained constantly about a nagging wife who devalued the husband’s loss of job or income and that she, if all things, has to make more sacrifices – less manicures, drop health club membership, etc. than he does.
Thank God I am not married.
Like the Good Book states: “Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife”
NAGA
October 21st, 2011
8:09 am
Wonder how much stimulus money was used for this crappy piece of “scientific” research.
thewindwhistler
October 21st, 2011
8:11 am
That is a great question. I really like it. Ever since the recession I have had low self esteem and have looked out side the home for sex. It really works wonders, my self esteem is going through the roof. Where as before the recession when everything was going well, I felt no need at all. Yes, I would recommend infidelity. Even my spouses self esteem is going higher and higher. Where as before I was content to have more and mORE MAterial possesssions now I think of each new conquest as another notch on the gun[figuratively speaking].
Ghostrider
October 21st, 2011
8:11 am
What a stupid article….
GeoffDawg
October 21st, 2011
8:16 am
Of course! Because men without money or jobs are always attractive to other women.
Jeff
October 21st, 2011
8:19 am
I’m curious where the coverage and outrage were when the following people cheated:
Mrs Salahi
Mrs Larry King
Mrs LeAnne Rhymes
Mrs Fergie
Mrs Christina Aguillera
Just sayin. The wringing of hands, knashing of teeth, condemnation of breaking marital vows all seemed to fall by the wayside.
DBH
October 21st, 2011
8:24 am
@NAGA: “Why focus only on the men?” I completely agree. Women are just as capable of cheating as men because, recession or no, the root cause is the same in both – a darkened heart – which renders this “study” even more absurd, in my opinion.
“The heart of her husband trusts in her…she does him good not evil, all the days of her life.” – Proverbs 31:11-12 (NASB)
ok Oprah..
October 21st, 2011
8:25 am
Women NEVER cheat do they???
icedawg
October 21st, 2011
8:30 am
No, its the sin that indwells them that makes them cheat.
DBH
October 21st, 2011
8:31 am
@icedawg: Exactly!
Sluggo
October 21st, 2011
8:36 am
Defaulting on my mortage and credit cards puts me in the mood everytime. Thank goodness our Government leaders have chosen to embrace the recession. I’m getting more now than ever.
“Look Honey, I got to work late again”
Truth 2 U
October 21st, 2011
8:43 am
What a waste of time on that study……
Gonna take a hit on this answer but who cares, no one knows me.
My wife was once very attractive, both mentally and physically, and she went south. She got comfortable with the marriage felt she had no obligation(s) to keep herself attractive and gained weight, started not liking herself, became mean and drove me away.
And I never changed until she did. I workout to keep myself attractive, work hard, pay the bills, and stayed focused and faithful.
Women who get fat and undesirable make men wonder.
Now, go ahead…..bash, but that is the truth!
JJ
October 21st, 2011
8:45 am
I thought men cheated because we women are nagging, we got fat (after birthing YOUR babies) and we quit having sex with our men……I had no idea it was the recession…..That just cleared up everything for me!!!!
@yahoo.com
October 21st, 2011
8:56 am
Just wondering were are all these single women sleeping with married men? Oh that is right they are married too. My opinion which is as scientific as any of the garbage in this article is men cheat for two reasons. Women grow up watching soaps and are lead to believe drama and over emotion are needed for passion and love. Men tend to not respond ot this behavior and they feel ignored emotionally. Men cheat because they get married and suddenly the person they were once very sexually attracted too becomes a mother of their children, a business partner in financing of life, a roommate, a boss, or another child to take care of in some cases. It is hard to look past all that when it comes to sex.
Jaded Guy
October 21st, 2011
9:00 am
No, being in a relationship with a verbally abusive, hateful, manipulative, bossy, selfish, self-centered, gold-digging cold-hearted [vulgar term for "female"] makes men want to cheat.
The economy is just a convenient excuse for some.
Truth 2 U
October 21st, 2011
9:16 am
Jaded Guy, I call that person you are with a Bytch!
catlady
October 21st, 2011
9:17 am
Ender J : “our genes don’t have sentient minds” –totally agree, so why did you write “because the virus causing them is feeling attacked and seeks out new cells to infect to ensure survival of its progeny.”?!
SFW
October 21st, 2011
9:21 am
A lot of good point on both sides, personally I think guys did cheat more, now I think it is no contest women over men.
SFW
October 21st, 2011
9:25 am
Simple answer for the change is the ones with more options will be the ones to explore those options, nowadays men seem to be second class citizens, women are always right even when they aren’t, they are the gatekeepers, etc. etc. etc. So yeah, all things being equal I think men would cheat more, but currently I believe it’s women, due to the fact men are pigs single and married alike, but we still have less options.
pcbobby
October 21st, 2011
9:27 am
It may also depend on the individuals’ backgrounds and values (or lack thereof). Some guys who have very little ethics are apt to cheat in a stressful situation while others who have a moral center probably go the opposite way and have little to no intimacy. I’m sure I’m probably in the “Low T Zone” these days with the amount of stress that I have been dealing with.
oneofeach4me
October 21st, 2011
9:30 am
I am with Reality on this one… people cheat in good times and in bad. However, I can see how it would boost a man’s ego, that has already been bruised by job loss, to know that he can get another woman and that he still “has it”. It all comes down to self control and to the wife. If he doesn’t want to loose you (because you are a good wife), then most of the time he will control himself and think about the consequences of his actions before he commits the act instead of after.
This does not mean, however, that relationships or marriages cannot survive infidelity or a recession, everything comes down to willpower.
Cliff Claven
October 21st, 2011
9:31 am
If they are going to cheat, they are going to cheat. The economy may cause money issues at home that cause stress that may cause a weak person to look elsewhere, but this “scientific” study is bull.
PhotoMomof4
October 21st, 2011
9:33 am
People (men or women) who cheat only do it because they are not happy with themselves. They can blame it on all of the outside issues, but in the end, they will always be looking for something to make them happy. You have to make yourself happy, and cheating, lying, stealing (all the same thing) are NOT the answer. This article only shows the excuses that people use when cheating to make themselves look better outwardly. At least that’s what they tell themselves.
SFW
October 21st, 2011
9:35 am
PHOTO, I agree whole heartedly
DBH
October 21st, 2011
9:38 am
I still don’t see how having illicit sex is going to improve my situation economically. I mean, if the impetus for such behavior is (supposedly) the recession, should not the objective be to somehow come out of these adulterous encounters better off than I was before? Maybe so (if you’re a gigolo.) It seems to me, however, that choosing this particular avenue as a means to relieve one form of economic stress would only open me up to another type of economic stress, namely, that which would be the result of my wife (if I were married) suing me for divorce and demanding half of everything I own.
PhotoMomof4
October 21st, 2011
10:10 am
@DBH, I would agree. And don’t forget the child support the father will have to pay to his soon to be ex wife and the mistress for her kids…
Not the best thing to do to improve a person’s economic situation.
SFW
October 21st, 2011
10:18 am
Getting married isn’t fiscally responsible anymore.
DBH
October 21st, 2011
10:26 am
@Photo: Bingo! I mean, if the moral rationale isn’t enough to motivate you to not cheat, then perhaps the economic consequences will be.
Wayne
October 21st, 2011
10:48 am
I’m to friggin’ tired from working to go around and look for another woman. On top of that, I’m thinkin’ I’m gonna need money to do that. If I don’t have money to take care of my family, does that mean I have money to go looking for someone else? Hotels, motels, gas, larger car so that I have an actual back seat, meals, flowers, jewelry,… it all just adds up doesn’t it?
Wayne
October 21st, 2011
11:06 am
@Shaggy: very nice story BTW.
JJ
October 21st, 2011
11:48 am
@Shaggy – I think you are one of THE MOST romantic men on this blog ( I just read your Tatoo posting). Your writings about your love for your wife, son and life in general absolutely facinate me. I wish there were more men like you on this Earth, and that I could meet one of them. You really have your head on straight, and I reallly admire you!!!!
FCM
October 21st, 2011
12:05 pm
I don’t know about the cheating….I do know that the number of kids failing 2 or more classes their freshman year of HS (at a Cobb County School) is causing alarm……I suspect (but have not done a study) that overall grades are lower for kids right now. The toll of economy on that would be worth looking at over cheating husbands.