Being cheated on is something that could affect you for life – whether you’re plagued with guilt from doing it to someone else or are still dealing with the pain of having it done to you.
Once you’ve been cheated on, odds are you take every precaution to ensure it won’t happen again.
While there exists a long (dirty) laundry list of reasons as to why people cheat, a new AsapSCIENCE video shows how it can also come down to how our brains are wired – and no, that’s not an excuse for it.
Apparently, it all comes down to that dangerous “happy chemical” that’s released in our brains when we do pleasurable things like have sex, indulge in comfort food, or work out. In science terms, it refers to the gene coding for a dopamine receptor. As is revealed in the video, researchers found that people with a long allele for this receptor are much more likely to love taking risks.
They’re those thrill seekers we see on our newsfeeds who are always skydiving, climbing mountains, or hanging off buildings.
Anyway, the thrill is addictive thanks to a “cheaters high.” They crave more. When it comes to cheating, then, this means that a cheater will likely cheat again. The scary thing is (not to reveal too much of the video), the percentage of people with a long allele for the dopamine receptor who have cheated on their partner is a lot higher than you’d probably imagine.
To cheat one time is bad enough, but to become a repeat offender is even worse – regardless of your wiring.
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