[Brad Lockyer]

Nobody can deny the profound impact an affair can have on a romantic relationship.

But is that impact always negative? Well, that depends on whether you’re a man or a woman.

A Dutch study had found that after cheating on their significant other, men are more likely to report low self-esteem and decreased life satisfaction.

But for women who cheated, the opposite was true. Female study participants reported a boost to their self-esteem and overall life satisfaction after stepping out.

The researches speculated that men and women may be unfaithful for different reasons and that differing outcomes between the sexes after an affair also plays a role.

“Potentially, women’s affairs are more likely to be a result of partner dissatisfaction, and consequently, the affair may be a wake-up call for their partners, leading positive behavioural change,” the study says.

“A look at outcomes suggest that male perpetrators were more negatively affected by the event.”

Have you ever been cheated on?

[Couldabeen]

The headline says “affair”, an “affair” doesn’t always mean that anyone is “cheating” on anyone else. More that someone is engaged in a relationship that may not be seen as with their regular partner or as potentially long term.
The esteem aspect would depend on who initiated it. Who seduced who. At some point in everyones life, they can get quite a boost in their self esteem if they find that some one sees them as attractive and desirable enough to want to spend time with them. Whether they accept this seduction or not is up to them. Of course if the seductee declines the seduction in an undiplomatic manner, it can be devastating to the esteem of the seducer. If done well, the decline can add to both peoples self esteem.
If a person just wants no strings attached sex, there are options beyond the rigmarole of traditional seduction. And this can be done by both genders looking for sexual satisfaction whereas the “affair”, as I see it, often goes beyond just the physical.
Above all though, if a person chooses to go behind their recognised partner’s back and engage in intimate engagement with some one else that they know that their partner would not approve of, yes, there is a probability that some one will end up with guilt concerns.

[Author]

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