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Topics: News, Sex and Relationships, Life
Niamh Shackleton
Experts have shared what ages someone is likely to cheat, why they might do it, and the red flags to look out for.
Relationships are far from easy and it's a given that they won't always be smooth running.
Sometimes these rocky periods might lead to infidelity, or the infidelity will lead to a rocky period; either way, cheating isn't particularly uncommon.
Acording to Statista, in 2021 it was found that around 21 percent of respondents in the US admitted to cheating on a partner (current or previous).
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Elsewhere, the Institue of Family Studies has reported that men are most likely to cheat. 20 percent of men compared to 13 percent of women said that they’ve had sex with someone other than their spouse while married, according to data from the 2017's General Social Survey.
While cheating and gender has been widely reported on over the years, the age that people tend to cheat still remains a bit of a mystery.
But self-proclaimed 'infidelity coach' and author of How To Be Unfaithful Without Getting Caught Albert Arnaiz says the ages people might cheat are 29, 39, and 49.
While Albertina Fisher, an experienced relationship and sex counsellor, argued that affairs can actually happen at any age, she did note that 29 might be a danger zone as it's around the time many couples might get married or welcome their first child.
Noting men adapting to fatherhood in particular, Fisher told The Telegraph: "It’s quite normal, for example, for a father to feel pushed out. The couple has become three and that might act as a trigger for a father to have affairs."
In regards to turning 39, intimacy coach Nicola Foster says this might be a danger zone for the generation who had 'played the field in their 20s, married in their early to mid-30s' and, on the brink on turning 40, might ask themselves if their spouse is really the only person they're going to have sex with for the rest of their life.
"Both men and women can feel stifled like that, and often there will be children involved," she added.
Then there's turning 49 - a time when people may be struggling with being middle aged.
At this point you may have also been with your spouse for a long time and starting to grow bored or feel like you've outgrown each other.
Meanwhile, 49 is around the time a lot of women start to go through the menopause, which can cause problems in the bedroom.
Private Investigator Aaron Bond revealed to The Sun that here are a handful of signs to look out for when it comes to your partner cheating.
One is if they start taking their phone everywhere with them.
"If your partner starts changing their passwords, starts taking their phone everywhere with them, even around the house or they become defensive when you ask to use their phone it could be a sign of them not being faithful," said Bond.
He added that they might also start putting the phone facing down all of a sudden.
They might start talking to you about their day less as well because that way they won't talk to you as much and they can avoid any feelings of guilt about their infidelities.
Libido changes are also a red flag, says Bond. He explained: "Cheaters often have less sex at home because they are cheating, but on occasions, they may also have more sex at home, this is because they feel guilty and use this increase in sex to hide their cheating."