Birds of a feather do flock together for protection.  People flock together too, but for different reasons.

The preference for similarity is instinctual.  Infants, who are not even a year old, display a preference for people who share their same likes and dislikes.  We like to be around people who are just like us.  It makes life easier when everyone is on the same page.  Thinking alike reduces conflict and makes doing things, even simple things, like going out for dinner, much easier.  Take a look at your friends.  They are a good reflection of who you are.

Not only do we seek out similar others, but there is a lot of pressure to conform to the norm.  People have a fundamental need to belong – we want to be accepted by our peers, so we tend to mimic their behavior.

The preference for similarity and the desire to conform to the norm apply to infidelity.  People, who cheat on their spouses, are more likely to be friends with other cheaters.  If you are friends with people who cheat, you are also more likely to cheat.

As with every thing else in life, picking your friends wisely is good thing to do.  Our friends not only influence our physical health, our social habits, our weight gain (or loss), but also our likelihood of being faithful.

Be mindful of the company you keep.  It has large impact on how you behave.

A marketing ploy or the truth?  A billboard in Greensboro, North Carolina calls out a cheating husband.

I doubt that MasterCard is behind this one:

Michael- GPS Tracker – $250
Nikon camera with zoom lens – $1600
Catching my LYING HUSBAND and buying this billboard with our investment account – Priceless. -Jennifer.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”?

Why do powerful people cheat?

It is easy to compile a list of powerful cheaters.

• David Petraeus
• Eliot Spitzer
• Bill Clinton
• John Edwards
• Tiger Woods
• David Letterman
• Arnold Schwarzenegger

Notice how they are all men?

Why is that the case?

A recent study asked over a thousand people to fill out questionnaires in order to examine the relationship between power and infidelity. People, who were the most powerful – those who held positions over others, were more likely to cheat.

Why does power lead to cheating? The evidence suggests that power increases one’s confidence leading powerful individuals to act in more assertive and outgoing ways. Powerful people are more likely to make direct eye contact, strike a confident pose, and approach potential lovers.

The most intriguing part of the study? Power had the same impact on both men and women. Power increases the likelihood of cheating, regardless of one’s sex.

While we tend to focus on men who cheat, perhaps in the future as women gain more power, women will achieve greater equality, even when it comes to breaking a partner’s heart.

Given how power corrupts, it should come as no surprise that Washington, DC has the highest rates of infidelity, according to data compiled by AshleyMadison. Based on the number of individuals who signed up on the site – whose purpose is to facilitate affairs for people who are married – DC ranked the highest. Other notable mentions:

1. Washington, DC
2. Austin, TX
3. Houston, TX
4. Miami, FL
5. Oklahoma City, OK
6. Richmond, VA
7. Boston, MA
8. Philadelphia, PA
9. Lincoln, NE
10. Phoenix, AZ

The entire story, published in the Washington Times can be found here.

New research shows that women, to a certain extent, can judge a male stranger’s degree of faithfulness by simply looking at his face. Women’s judgments about a stranger’s sexual trustworthiness are fairly accurate. Men with more masculine looking faces were accurately judged as being less trustworthy. The main conclusion of the study:

“We conclude that impressions of sexual faithfulness from faces have a kernel of truth, at least for women, and that they may help people assess the quality of potential mates about whom they have minimal behavioural information.”

There appears to be growing support for the notion that some men have the face of a cheater and they tend to cheat.