Is Infidelity Contagious?

[Dr. Shane]

My first marriage failed due to infidelity.  I had always suspected it happened after my ex-wife joined a fitness club.  That lead to her hanging out with a group of superficial friends and going out clubbing on Friday nights while I stayed home with the children and welcomed the Sabbath.  A study released last year found that my ex-wife's story is not all that unique.  People in monogamous relationships that are exposed to other people who are not sexually loyal report becoming less committed to their "better half."  

Psalms 4:23 tells us "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." Proverbs 12:26 reads, "The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray."  It really doesn't take a highly scientific study to teach as that bad friends lead to bad decisions.  Vladimir Lenin's famous quote is "Show me who your friends and I'll tell you who you are."  Now, I don't agree with Lenin on many things but even a stopped clock is right twice a day.  A big part of guarding our heart is choosing good friends.

 

Birnbaum GE, Zholtack K, Ayal S. Is Infidelity Contagious? Online Exposure to Norms of Adultery and Its Effect on Expressions of Desire for Current and Alternative Partners. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Nov;51(8):3919-3930. doi: 10.1007/s10508-022-02392-7. Epub 2022 Aug 17. PMID: 35978202.