Cheaters aren’t that hard to spot as long as you’re not actually in a relationship with one.
This is the revelation found by a recent study collaboration between professors from Florida State University and Brigham Young University.
“People can determine whether complete strangers were cheaters or non-cheaters by simply watching them interact for a short period of time,” said Dr. Nathaniel Lambert, an assistant professor at BYU and the study’s lead author, in an email to Huffington Post.
(NOTE: None of the couples in the study you’re about to read had decided to file for divorce, nor was it stated that any were married. Could be different if you live together.)
Methodology
According to HuffPo, “researchers rounded up 51 undergraduate students at Florida State University and their romantic partners” with each student completing a questionnaire regarding emotional and physical infidelity within the relationship.
Couples were videotaped “for about four minutes” as they did a drawing task that found one partner blindfolded and the other guiding them on what to draw.
Six strangers then viewed the videos and were able to tell with almost perfect accuracy who the cheaters were.
Following the results, study authors tried it again with 43 new couples and five strangers. The evidence held, though study co-author Dr. Frank Fincham of Florida State University admits that more research will need to be conducted before knowing how strangers were able to tell with such a high degree of accuracy.
“Possibly because it confers an evolutionary advantage,” Fincham told HuffPo to which the site adds, “In other words, the ability to spot infidelity may help ensure that we don’t wind up spending our time and energy raising offspring that aren’t our own.”
The Takeaways
If you have some suspicion that your spouse is cheating and you’ve considered the divorce forms, consider the evidence. While strangers were used in the study above, friends have similar intuitions especially when they’re removed from the closeness of your relationship. If they sense it, don’t dismiss it.
Should you discover that your spouse is having an affair and you want out, we can get you started with the divorce papers today and walk you through the process in less than one hour. Good luck whatever you decide!