By Emily Ferrell, Reporter
She broke off the relationship right away.
“If they feel it’s not worth it to be with you, it’s not worth it to be with them,” she said.
Though her experience was painful, it was not unique. In a poll of 118 randomly-selected Kaneland students, 37 percent said they had been cheated on, and 13 percent confessed to cheating on their partners.
Nationally, two-thirds of young adults in a committed relationship have encountered betrayal to their monogamous other, according to a study by Tricia Orzeck and Esther Lung, published in Current Psychology.
“[The cheater] may think the grass is greener on the other side,” school psychologist John Markovich said.
Being betrayed can have compelling emotional consequences. Sophomore Ieisha Johansson would know after her boyfriend of six months cheated on her.
“I felt like everything was my fault and that I wasn’t good enough. Sooner or later I got over it and went on with my life,” Johansson said.
5 CHARACTERISTICS THAT MAKE SOMEONE LIKELY TO CHEAT:
1. Extroversion:
A recent study published in 2009 found that extroverts believe that they are more social and active than their significant others. They don’t invest as much as they should into relationships, which lowers commitment. Their personality type is more likely to cheat to prevent boredom.
2. Agreeableness:
The cheater is more cooperative and generous. They are agreeable and want to please others. The cheaters with this trait will feel that by being cooperative their monogamous other will reciprocate the favor and be more willing to please them, Orzeck and Lung found.
3. Conscientiousness:
Cheaters tend to be more disorganized and unreliable. They tend not to make an effort in their relationship and pay less attention to their partner, which leads to an affair. “Individuals who describe themselves as unfaithful were found to be low on conscientiousness,” Orzeck wrote.
4. Neuroticism:
People with a neurotic attitude have low emotional stability and they aren’t in control of their temper. They have lack of psychological adjustment and low openness with others. These neurotic people are more likely to cheat and have shorter relationships, Orzeck and Lung found.
5. Openness
Cheaters see themselves as more open than their partner. The study showed that cheaters think they are more creative and intellectual compared to their non-cheating partner. Having this trait makes the cheater seek out for someone to compare themselves to.