Summer of Sex. Hot Vax Summer. Whoring ’20s. The pandemic — and subsequent loosening restrictions — have had collateral impact on many relationships in a variety of unexpected ways. Take a look at the surge in divorce rates as just one example of this. But even if couples did choose to stay with their main squeeze, a recent study found there was heightened interest in getting a little side action too. The study looked at how common this interest was, state by state, revealing the most popular US cities for cheating.
See also: 11 signs a cheater will cheat again.
From lockdowns to secret lovers
Not to be mistaken with ethical polyamory, infidelity inherently assumes deceit, and the site Ashley Madison, which notoriously caters to such indiscretions, shared some surprising findings.
The study, published in the Journal of Sex Research, looked at the number of sign-ups between June 20, 2020 and September 22, 2020, on a per capita basis. The company noted a surge in the number of new users between March 1 and April 25 with more than 17,000 new accounts created in one single day.
Related: How to catch a cheater: 16 ways to spy on a cheating spouse.
While it’s not clear whether each account is verified (i.e. not a dummy account or a bot), nor that signups (read: intention) necessarily led to cheating (read: action), it is clear that some cities are hotbeds for sexy side action. Some cities (such as two Florida hotspots), may come as no surprise. But other locales (Boise, Idaho — here’s looking at you), sneak up from the rear.
Related: July is the month when people have the most sex, survey finds.
Top American cities for cheating, ranked
- Miami, FL
- Orlando, FL
- Las Vegas, NV
- Atlanta, GA
- Cincinnati, OH
- Minneapolis, MN
- Boise, ID
- St. Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Tampa, FL
- Richmond, VA
- Spokane, WA
- Pittsburg, PA
- Buffalo, NY
- Anchorage, AK
- Denver, CO
- Cleveland, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Colorado Springs, CO
- Baton Rouge, LA
See also: How to tell if someone is cheating on you.
Not just a boys’ club
The study also found that women were more apt to sneak out on their boo. Dr. Tammy Nelson, quoted in the study, shared that, “[W]omen are better at multitasking — and according to this study, they may be better at cheating.”
While the female respondents recognized that cheating was morally wrong, they didn’t feel guilty about it; they just reported feeling more judged by the proverbial patriarchal society.
Some of other findings reveal that extramarital sex is better because it allows them to:
- experiment (45 per cent)
- to have more frequent sex than they otherwise would with their spouse (42 per cent)
- to enjoy it because of the novelty (39 per cent)
- to explore their sexual fantasies (38 per cent)
Those who were older were more likely to cheat than their younger counterparts and users claimed they saw such behaviour as a “form of self-care.”
Related: How Scorpios respond to fights with lovers — and all the other signs too.
