If You Think Your Partner Would Never Cheat On You, Science Says Think Again

Contrary to what I've learned from a lifetime of religiously watching "Days Of Our Lives" with my grandma, a new study has found most people trust their partners more than they actually should.

In the study, psychologists at the University of Calgary and McMaster Children's Hospital took a look at how frequently people thought cheating occurred both in their own relationships and other people's relationships.

They surveyed about 200 people (aged 17 to 32), both married and dating, who had been in their respective relationships for an average of nearly two years.

Respondents were asked to answer questions about trust, commitment and infidelity. "Infidelity" wasn't defined; rather, it was left for open interpretation.

This is when things started to get interesting. Participants assessed the average person has about a 40 percent chance of ever cheating on a partner, while 9 percent of participants admitted they themselves had cheated in the past.

But what happened when it came to their own partners? Well, only 5 percent of participants thought their own partners had already cheated on them or will cheat on them at some point in the future. Only 5 percent!

If you're not too good with numbers, let me just be clear for you: People reported themselves cheating at about twice the rate they thought their partners would cheat. Not to mention the more obvious revelation that only a minuscule 5 percent of us think our partners would ever cheat.

One thing everyone agreed on? A huge 90 percent of respondents agreed ignorance is not bliss when it comes to cheating. They would all want to know if their partners cheated on them.

What else was interesting? About 70 percent of respondents admitted they had never even discussed what they consider to be cheating with their partners.

This all seems like a lot of room for confusion, if you ask me.

Citations: Apparently we're all way too trusting in relationships (Metro News), Expectations regarding partner fidelity in dating relationships (Journal of Social and Personal Relationships)