15 Cheating Stats That'll Blow Your Mind ...

When it comes to cheating in a relationship, just as many women as men admitted to doing the deed. When it comes to married people, though, men are well in the lead. 22% of married men admitted to cheating at least once during their marriage, compared to just 14% of married women. That’s an 8% difference. This is one of those mind-blowing cheating stats that really baffles!

Cheating doesn’t have to be physical. While most people think that affairs are all about the steamy stuff, the cheats themselves have drastically different views. 41% of cheats admitted to a type of cheating that wasn’t physical – mainly in the form of emotional affairs. Non-physical cheating is a lot more common in married couples, too. Experts claim it’s because it’s a lot easier to hide an emotional connection to someone else than a physical one, especially when it comes to feeling guilty or worried.

It seems business trips might deserve their shady reputations. When quizzed about where their affairs started, or how cheats found time to have an affair without their other half knowing, business trips were a common answer. 35% of cheaters admitted to starting an affair whilst on a business trip – and most of them claimed it wouldn’t have happened without the trip. Whether it’s the free hotel room or all that booze at tea, it seems the trips might be for pleasure, too…

How long do you think the average affair lasts? Most people claimed one night, with a few guessing a few weeks, or even a month or so. It’s clear that the average person thinks that affairs burn out quickly! According to the research, though, most ‘flings’ actually last much longer. The average is two years, with some affairs going on for over a decade.

No, this isn’t a stat about the ‘cheating gene,’ or whether having parents who cheat affects your chances. It’s far grosser than that! A huge 17% of respondents admitted to cheating on their partner with their brother or sister-in-law. Yep, family. Why? For most, it seems that it’s just much more convenient – and a lot less likely to be suspicious.

Men do stay in the lead in the ‘most likely to cheat’ scales, with a whopping 57% admitting to cheating in one or more relationships throughout their lives. However, women weren’t that far behind. 54% of women have had an affair, and 23% had cheated on more than one partner. It seems we don’t quite deserve our innocent explanation.

I can’t decide if this is one of the most or least surprising cheating stats, so I’ll leave it up to you. When it comes to being found out, most cheaters won’t admit to any more than their other half can prove. Even when confronted with evidence, almost all said that they’d lie, and 98% would minimize what had been discovered. It fits the classic cheating script – lie, minimize, deny, blame – but it’s a shocking thing to admit to!

Not many affairs begin between strangers, like you might see on television. In fact, 60% start at work. Since he sees his coworkers so often, it’s convenient for him to cozy up to one of them. Plus, unless you work together, there’s no way for you to see how he interacts with her at the office.

No one wants to be cheated on, and no one wants to be labeled a cheater. However, when surveyed, 41% of married men and women admitted to cheating. That’s nearly half! It’s no surprise that the divorce rate keeps raising when relationships are this shaky.

Would you be angry if you found flirty texts in your boyfriend’s phone? According to huffingtonpost.com, “More than 80 percent of women felt that texting or online flirting were unfaithful acts, only 56 percent of men agreed.” No one wants their partner flirting with someone else. Their words may be harmless, but they could lead to an affair.

According to huffingtonpost.com, “All of the women polled (100 percent) thought that sharing a passionate kiss counted as cheating, but only 86 percent of men felt the same.” It’s hard to believe that anyone would think of a kiss as a harmless act, but they do. When you enter a relationship with a man, it might be helpful to tell him exactly what you consider cheating, even if it seems obvious to you.

There are plenty of different reasons why couples get divorces. Some simply fall out of love. Others have financial or moral issues. However, 17% of divorces are caused by infidelity. As common as cheating seems to be, it’s a deal-breaker for most people.

Whenever you hook up with someone, you can’t forget about the possibility of pregnancy. According to truthaboutdeception.com, 2-3% of children are the products of one parent’s infidelity. Some women tell their children who their real father is, while others lie about it. If you’d be too embarrassed to tell your child who their real father is, then you should reconsider sleeping with the man at all.

Would you cheat if you knew for a fact that you wouldn’t get caught? 68% of women and 74% of men claim that they would, if given the chance. The biggest thing that keeps them from staying loyal isn’t their love, but their worry over being found out.

If someone cheats on you, it doesn’t mean that he’s fallen out of love with you. His feelings may remain, but he is unsatisfied with a certain aspect of the relationship. Instead of working things through with you, he decided to take the easy way out and find someone new, who he had no issues with. If your man cheats, you have a right to kick him to the curb, but know that he may still really love you.

Some of these cheating stats really surprised me. While women often get a reputation for being innocent and faithful, it appears that we don’t quite deserve that reputation – but men aren’t all innocent, either. And when it comes to business trips and emotional affairs, nobody comes off well. Are you surprised by these cheating stats?!

This article was written in collaboration with editor Holly Riordan.