Malevolent infidelity, defined as adultery driven by retribution and the goal to cause a partner pain, is more common among women than men, according to a recent study published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy.
Researchers from Federation University in Australia examined 240 people between the ages of 18 and 67 for the study.
Questions on participants’ histories of physical, emotional, and malevolent infidelity were included in the Dark Tetrad trait surveys they completed.
After accounting for other characteristics including personality qualities, studies found that women were more likely than men to cheat on their partners with the intention of hurting them.
Narcissism, psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and sadomania are the four characteristics that make up the Dark Tetrad and are linked to a life of crime and depravity.
According to the study’s authors, the results imply that the reasons for participating in various forms of infidelity vary. Cheating can be motivated by a variety of factors, including a need for excitement and impulsivity (psychopathy), a desire to inflict pain on others (sadism), or an inflated sense of self-importance (narcissism).
This shows that the higher prevalence of spiteful infidelity among women is due to variables other than gender. Mental health issues, histories of abuse or neglect, and societal norms are all possibilities.
This finding may also imply that female infidelity is driven more by vengeance and the desire to injure than that of male infidelity.
The researchers claim that their findings are significant because they can aid men in comprehending the factors that drive women to engage in such behavior.
Men can use this information to better safeguard themselves against these women.
The study’s results are especially noteworthy since they run counter to the common belief that only males are capable of cheating on their partners.
One of the study’s flaws is that it used a tiny sample size to draw conclusions.
