I preface this post by stating a couple of facts up front…
While in a general sense men and women arrive at their decisions to cheat on their partners from different angles, this post is not meant to imply that those differences are absolutes.
A man can have an affair based on perceived emotional neglect (feeling “invisible”) just as women tend to do, and women can engage in infidelity for the pure physicality of it with little to no emotional connection to their illicit paramour.
Additionally, men can and often do “cheat to upgrade their spouse” while women try to have their cake and eat it too by keeping their husbands in the picture for security (emotional and/or financial safety net) while having an intimate affair with someone they find more exciting (the female dual-mating strategy).
That said, and again generally speaking, men cheat because they’re horny. Women cheat because they’re done with the relationship.
When a man cheats, it’s usually sloppy, impulsive, and almost meaningless.
He’s not looking to upgrade—he’s looking to escape for an hour. He can love his woman and still betray her because, for men, cheating is often physical, not emotional.
When a woman cheats, it’s a declaration of war. She’s already been planning her exit for months.
She’s emotionally invested in the other guy, has mentally packed her bags, and her man is the last one to know. Her cheating isn’t about thrill—it’s about trading up.
A man cheats and wants to keep his home life.
A woman cheats and she’s already picked out new furniture.
Men cheat for the moment.
Women cheat for the future.
And here’s the part nobody wants to hear:
When a man cheats, the relationship might survive.
When a woman cheats, it’s already dead.
Again, there are many exceptions to this rule, but in general, women are far more likely to be emotionally invested in their illicit affairs than men are, and because of this, it’s harder for a couple to reconcile when the woman is the one who strayed.
Something for both men and women to be mindful of before starting an affair.
-The Rational Ram
The Rational Ram 