A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships has found that the negative effects of being cheated on by a romantic partner can extend beyond emotional pain to potentially harm your long-term health. Researchers found that individuals who have experienced partner infidelity are more likely to report worse chronic health, and this effect persists even when they are in other supportive relationships.
Infidelity, or the act of being cheated on by a partner, is a common and devastating form of romantic betrayal. A meta-analysis showed that about 34% of men and 24% of women have committed infidelity at some point in their lives. Given its prevalence, many researchers have explored its psychological effects, including increased anxiety, depression, and lowered self-esteem. However, the potential long-term health consequences of partner infidelity have received less attention.
The researchers behind this new study wanted to address the gaps in existing literature by focusing on chronic health outcomes. Chronic health refers to long-lasting conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, and migraines, which can be influenced by psychological stressors.
“Partner infidelity is fairly common, and anecdotally it’s clear that it can be a tremendously severe relationship stressor (especially given that romantic relationships are very central to the well-being of many individuals). Despite this, infidelity is a rarely-researched topic. It was hence practically important and meaningful to examine this topic empirically,” said study author Vincent Y. S. Oh, a lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
To explore the long-term health effects of infidelity, the researchers used data from the Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS) study, a large and nationally representative survey. The MIDUS study includes information about individuals’ relationships, health, and demographic characteristics, making it a valuable resource for examining how personal experiences affect health over time.
The sample included 2,579 participants, ranging from 33 to 84 years old, who had completed two waves of the MIDUS survey, taken about nine years apart. Participants reported whether their partner had ever been unfaithful, and their chronic health was assessed by tracking the number of long-term health conditions they had, such as heart disease, diabetes, or migraines. The researchers also analyzed information on participants’ friendships, family relationships, employment status, education, income, and overall relationship satisfaction.
The findings showed a clear link between experiencing partner infidelity and poorer chronic health outcomes. Even after controlling for factors such as age, gender, income, and education level, participants who had been cheated on were more likely to report chronic health problems, such as persistent migraines or heart issues, than those who had not experienced infidelity.
Interestingly, the study also explored whether having strong support from friends and family could buffer the health effects of infidelity. The researchers found no evidence that supportive relationships outside of the romantic partnership could protect against the long-term health consequences of being cheated on. While family and friends play a significant role in helping individuals cope with emotional stress, they were not enough to completely counteract the chronic health issues linked to infidelity.
“The good news is that effect sizes between infidelity and chronic health were in the ‘small’ range,” Oh told PsyPost. “Such effect sizes do still suggest the potential for lasting harm with practical implications, but at the very least, the effects are not extremely large.”
“The bad news is that having supportive relationships with one’s family or friends did not seem to alleviate the negative associations between being cheated on with chronic health. We hoped to find that, perhaps, other sources of social support would at least reduce the chronic health associations of being cheated on. This was unfortunately not the case based on our findings.”
Additionally, the study found that demographic factors such as income and ethnicity appeared to influence the relationship between infidelity and health. Specifically, lower-income individuals and ethnic minorities who had experienced infidelity were more likely to suffer from poorer chronic health than their wealthier or white counterparts. This suggests that individuals who already face social and economic disadvantages may be more vulnerable to the negative health effects of romantic betrayal.
“Being cheated on by one’s partner can have lasting consequences for one’s chronic health, and these consequences may be especially severe among the vulnerable, such as minorities and those who face socioeconomic challenges,” Oh explained. “Individuals who have suffered partner infidelity and are finding it difficult to manage should thus consider seeking professional assistance.”
The study is one of the first to provide clear evidence that partner infidelity can have lasting consequences for chronic health, emphasizing that the impact of romantic betrayal goes beyond emotional distress. But as with all studies, the research had some limitations.
The study relied on self-reported data, meaning that participants were asked to recall whether they had ever been cheated on by a partner. This method introduces the possibility of memory bias, as participants may not accurately remember or may choose not to disclose their experiences with infidelity. Additionally, the study did not account for the timing or context of the infidelity.
“The measures used are imperfect,” Oh said. “Infidelity was measured purely by asking participants if they have ever been cheated on by their partner. There was no other information detailing how long ago this was, and the context of the cheating (e.g., whether it was physical, emotional, and so on). This limits the information that can be derived from the study – the conclusion is solely about whether an individual has been cheated on before, and whether this is associated with poorer chronic health.”
“Please be faithful to your partners!” Oh added.
The study, “The consequences of spousal infidelity for long-term chronic health: A two-wave longitudinal analysis,” was authored by Eunicia Q. W. Hoy and Vincent Y. S. Oh.