Why Do Happily Married Men Fall for Another Woman?

By: Matthew Schieltz

An estimated 30 to 60 percent of all married individuals will have an affair at some point in the marriage. In addition, the United States divorce rate for marriages is one in two, and there's no doubt that much of this has to do with infidelity on the part of the wife, and more commonly, the husband

Husbands' Needs

A major reason that seemingly happily married men for for other women is because their needs aren't being met. All married individuals, including men, have physical, psychological, emotional and social needs that need to be met by their marriage partner.

Opportunity

Research has shown that there is a rising trend for young married men under the age of 30 to cheat on their wives. One of the reasons for this is opportunity. Young adults often go out more often and there may be more chance to develop a romance in the office or workplace, which can lead to infidelity.

Impulsivity

Happily married men who commit acts of infidelity on their wives may do so because of an impulse or the feeling of excitement that they are doing something wrong. In addition, these feelings of excitement only increase if there is a higher chance that they will get caught.

Jealousy

Some married men may end up engaging in infidelity if they have found that their wives have also done this to them. This is the "eye-for-an-eye" attitude, in which a married man may feel like he is doing nothing wrong since his wife also cheated on him.

Prevention

The number one prevention of infidelity on the part of a husband (or a wife for that matter) is open communication and trust in a marriage. Open communication allows for much-needed discussions and trust is the building block that is needed for every successful marriage.