Study finds the red flag that means your partner is likely to cheat

A well known adage about relationship red flags appears to be accurate, as scientists have identified the factor that determines if your partner is likely to be a cheater.

Researchers from the University of Denver published a study which delves into risk factors for cheating behaviour in relationships.

The study, titled “Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater? Serial Infidelity Across Subsequent Relationships” looked at whether cheating in a previous relationship was a risk factor for infidelity in later relationships.

To test this red flag, the scientists conducted a longitudinal study over a five-year period and looked at 484 people through two mixed-gender romantic relationships. The individuals were quizzed about their sexual activities outside of their current pairing. They were also asked whether they had suspicions that their respective partner had been unfaithful.

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Scientists then followed these people from one relationship to their next one, to measure whether those who said they had cheated in their first coupling went on to do the same again.

Perhaps unsurprising to those who have had the misfortune of dealing with cheating partners in the past, the findings showed that previous cheating was a big risk factor for infidelity in subsequent relationships. Those who cheated the first time around in the study were three-times more likely to do it again in their next relationship.

It was also found that those who suspected their first partner cheated were four times more likely to have suspicions that their next partner was a cheater.

The researchers said: “Results from this study indicated that people who engaged in infidelity themselves, knew about a partner’s infidelity, or suspected a partner of infidelity had a higher risk of having those same infidelity experiences again in their next romantic relationships.”

They also acknowledged their study’s limitations, including the small sample size and the ages of the participants falling between 18 and 35 years old.

However, in the conclusion the researchers explained: “Infidelity can harm individuals and relationships, and these results can inform prevention or intervention efforts by targeting risk factors based on previous relationship patterns in addition to the various individual, relational, and contextual factors demonstrated to predict infidelity in previous work.”

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