A small detail can ruin relationships: scientists have found the reason behind infidelity in couples.

A recent study conducted by researchers revealed that individuals who hold more power in romantic relationships are more likely to exhibit behaviors associated with infidelity. The scientists identified several reasons and factors that may indicate this trend, and they hope that such knowledge could save many marriages and help even more people avoid the traps of toxic relationships, according to Neuroscience.

According to Gurit Birnbaum, a psychology professor at Reichman University, these individuals tend to believe that they have more relationship options outside their current partnership due to an increased sense of desirability and self-confidence. This perception that perceived power inflates feelings of attractiveness and alternatives in relationships formed the basis of the research published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior, which involved a series of four experiments aimed at exploring the connection between power dynamics and the propensity for infidelity.

The experiments primarily involved individuals in long-term monogamous relationships. The first test examined how memories of power moments in relationships influence sexual fantasies about others. The researchers discovered that men recalling feelings of power experienced a greater desire for alternative partners, while this effect was absent in women. In another experiment, participants were asked to choose potential partners based on photographs, revealing that both men and women with a higher sense of power considered attractive strangers as potential partners under time constraints.

Further research demonstrated how self-perception of power and "couple value" affects behavior. When participants assessed their power in relationships and attractiveness compared to their partners, those who viewed themselves as dominant showed greater attraction to an attractive outsider involved in the study. This trend persisted in the final experiment, where daily reports over three weeks confirmed that an increased perception of power correlated with heightened interest in external sexual connections the following day.

Co-author of the study Harry Reis from the University of Rochester noted that influential partners may feel less bound by commitments, making them prone to seeking new, short-term flings when opportunities arise. These findings highlight the broader implications of how power imbalance in relationships can affect fidelity and indicate the need for measures to address this dynamic to prevent infidelity. While previous studies suggest that balanced power dynamics lead to healthier relationships, imbalance remains a common phenomenon and can have both positive and negative consequences.

According to some research, only about half of romantic relationships are characterized by a roughly equal power balance. Such inequality may contribute to approximately 21% of individuals admitting to infidelity, based on 2021 data. The results of the researchers' study underscore the necessity for a deeper exploration of how perceived power influences behavior in relationships and highlight the urgent need to understand and address this dynamic to strengthen trust and commitment in long-term partnerships.

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