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People adapt in all kinds of ways when times are tough.

During a recession, women have been known to spend their extra pocket money not on necessities but on the novelty of red lipstick instead (this is called the Lipstick Effect).

While indulging in such a purchase to provide an emotional uplift works for some, others take their need to escape reality for a moment to the next level.

Experts say that when a financial crisis looms, cheating starts to rise.

Mashable reported that according to data from the marital affairs website Illicit Encounters (yes, this is a dating site for people wanting to cheat), thousands of people are turning to affairs since the cost of living crisis began in the UK last year.

The website saw a 169% spike in new members during the middle of this year, with August 2022 reaching a record high for sign-ups in one month:

Further research from Illicit Encounters surveyed 1,000 of its members, asking the question “Do you think the cost of living crisis is impacting your marriage and making you more likely to cheat?” with an overwhelming 85 percent of them answering “yes”.

…And it’s not the first time we’ve seen this. Jessica Leoni, a spokesperson for Illicit Encounters, says the sign-up spike follows a similar trend they observed during the 2008 financial crash.

The experts believe that the reason people’s eyes are wandering outside of their marriages is largely down to arguments over money:

A recent report from Stowe Family Law showed 20 percent of couples affected by the cost of living crisis regularly argue over what to allocate their dwindling funds towards. With stress being proven to make people more likely to cheat, perhaps it’s not a surprise how many affairs are occuring.

Psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber said that couples “falling in love might feel like they’re embarking on a joyous adventure, but there’s no awakening as rude as the reminder of not having enough money”.

She also explains that money issues can be so shame-filled that people often feel alone by their financial problems.

Failing when it comes to money can also create a sense that one has lost themselves, and cheating can often feel like an antidote to that.

Fox Weber adds that feeling desired by gaining positive attention from someone else “awakens something within”.

The fact that cheating has been proven to be “infectious” doesn’t help this situation – so be careful who you hang out with when the money is low.

I wonder if the cost of living crisis could also potentially be driving the relationship trend of polyamory and ethical non-monogamy, which has been on the rise in recent years.

If you’re open-minded enough, there are myriad other ways to structure a relationship that can allow everyone involved to keep their head above water and breathe a little easier.

[source:mashable]