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To cheat or not to cheat?

As if it wasn’t hard enough to be a single girl, it seems like even fewer people these days are interested in monogamy. Well, not true monogamy at least.

From headlines in celebrity magazines and entertainment news cycles, to water cooler chitchat and neighborhood gossip, it feels like I’m constantly being reminded of how common cheating is in relationships.

It’s frustrating, to say the least. I’ve seen plenty of relationships reduced to rubble after a cheating scandal tears them apart.

However, given my affinity for the E! channel, I’m starting to question whether the topic is really as prevalent as it seems, or if it’s being sensationalized for the sake of sensationalism?

Let’s ask the scholars!

According to a survey conducted by Adam & Eve, nearly 33 percent of study participants admitted to cheating—30 percent of men, and 34 percent of women. What’s arguably more upsetting though, is the number of those who said they would cheat, as long as they could be sure that no one would ever find out about it: a shocking 74 percent of men and 68 percent women.

Now, I could go on and on about how hurtful cheating is, and how it’s wrong, etc., etc., but how about a few more facts to ease the sting of those stats instead?

Thankfully, as high as those statistics sound, the number of people who act on their desires is much smaller. As explained in an article for Psych Central, “in any given year, it looks like the actual likelihood of your relationship suffering from cheating is low — probably less than a 6 percent chance.”

If you take into account different scenarios such as age, number of children, and family struggles, your chances of experiencing infidelity during your long-term relationship could rise to as much as 25 percent. But it’s much more likely for your chances to hover that six percent mark—not too shabby in my opinion!

Finally, I feel it’s worth noting that while you shouldn’t let a small statistic like that deter you from finding your true love, an unfortunate fact remains. You can only control your own actions, not your partner’s. If you ever decide to end a relationship because you discover cheating, take a little advice from me—it’s okay if he wasn’t Mr. Right.

When a relationship doesn’t work out—whether it’s due to a lack of romantic interest, or because there were a few too many romantic interests—just remember, there’s someone better out there for you. By breaking off a dysfunctional relationship now, “you’re giving each other the chance you deserve to find someone who’s completely nuts about you.”

You deserve the best, and anyone who doesn’t know that isn’t worth your time!

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