Written by Matthew Boutwell, Shelby Moore, Garrett Wolfe, and Nathan Archer.
Is it bad that people are okay with cheating?
The phenomenon of the public normalizing "cheating culture" is harming how people think morally and socially, as well as causing physical impairments such as STDs. The general American public is showing heavy signs of weaseling out of monogamous relationships. To clarify, I don't mean that people are making polyamory a societal norm, I mean that these millennials are sleeping with other people without their partners knowing about it. I think many people will agree that from a moral standpoint this practice is bad, but putting opinions aside, it causes a real threat to your health and relationship. The main downsides of this cheating behavior are that it puts a huge strain on your relationship, you lose respect for yourself in the long run, and it puts you at a higher risk of contracting STD's.
I'm sure you have been in an argument before. It could have been with a family member or a friend, but most commonly, arguments are with the ones we love. The stress of a relationship is tough on its own, but when you throw infidelity into the mix, it turns into a minefield of negative emotions and lashing out. Onlymyhealth.com has an article called "Major effects of Extra-Marital Affairs" the author states "in some cases it takes decades for them (the partner cheated on) to trust someone again." This is prime evidence of how heavily a partner could affect a person's life just by betraying them in a quick fling. The normalization of this activity has caused heartbreak time and time again.
Have you ever done something you regret? Many people go through their lives making decisions that maybe they should have thought twice about. Cheating is one of those huge decisions that can shift lives and thought processes. Quara.com has an article that states "You lose a bit of respect for yourself every time you do it." Most men that practice infidelity will tell you that the decision just is not worth the thrill.
According to Who.it, around 35 million people worldwide have died from HIV since the start of the epidemic. This number is terrifying to look at if you realize that HIV is primarily spread sexually, but it is even scarier to realize that it is not the only disease that you can get from unprotected sources. According to livescience.com, a study was conducted that showed people in monogamous relationships who cheated on their partners were less likely to use condoms, and less likely to discuss their history of STDs during their sexual digression compared with people in open relationships who had sex with someone other than their primary partner, the researchers said.
You may ask why do people cheat instead of getting into a polyamorous relationship? One woman said that her former friend is a serial cheater and would rather cheat than be in a polyamorous relationship because she could not bear the thought of her partner being with someone else. Many people disagree with a polyamorous relationship but if you want to have an open relationship, talk to your partner about being polyamorous and see if that person agrees.
Could cheating ever benefit your relationship? In some cases, some argue you could benefit from ego boosts and emotional intimacy. Some even argue infidelity can add fizz to a flat relationship and can satisfy your emotional needs. Everyone has their own reason for cheating and not leaving their partner. The reason for not leaving their partner would be that they still love them, but they are afraid their partner would not understand if it were revealed that something was missing. In most relationships where cheating has occurred, it all boil down to not getting what they want so they go find someone to give them what they want. Despite these arguments having merit, many of them could be easily solved by just talking to their partner and working things out, or even leaving.
Cheating should not be normalized in our society, but unfortunately it is. Cheating can cause strains in relationships, cause people to lose respect for themselves, and even put you at a higher risk of contracting STD's. There is no logical reason or explanation for why people cheat on their partner. All it does is cause relationships to be damaged and hurt the person they are with. In conclusion, people should think twice about cheating on their partner. It is morally wrong and has many repercussions that come along with it.
