Valentine's Day may just just around the corner, but less than a third of Brits think having an affair would put their relationship under strain.
An official study published by the Office for National Statistics looked into the nation's wellbeing and uncovered some interesting facts about our romantic relationships.
When people were given a list of situations which could possibly threaten their relationship, paying the bills and work stress outranked extra-marital affairs as possible causes of strain.
Just 36% identified an affair as a potential problem, while more than 60% singled out financial problems and 40% said a lack of work-life balance.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Gianna Lisiecki-Cunane, an associate in family law with JMW Solicitors, said the findings on financial worries outranking adultery as a concern mirrored the experience of divorce lawyers.
"There are couples who find a partner's infidelity to be an easier pill to swallow than the possibility of having to untangle and divide assets which might been built up over a number of years," she said.
"Those involved recognise that their financial worries are likely to be greater if they are on their own than if they remain in a marriage, albeit one in which there has been adultery."
It's worth noting though, that while we may not see an affair as the biggest potential problem, it doesn't necessaritly mean Brits approve of infidelity.
Results from the most recent UK National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyle (NATSAL 2013) show that 63% of men and 70% of women disapprove of non-exclusivity in marriage.
The ONS survey also found only 11% think frustrations over their sex life would put a strain on their relationship. Household chores came at the bottom of the list, showing that while many of us argue about the washing up, we don't see it as a deal-breaker.
Despite all the talk on what can ruin a relationship, marriage was found to be the secret to happiness among Brits, with those who were married reporting far higher levels of life satisfaction over all, than those who aren't.
Cheating And The Sexes
More Women Think Infidelity Is Wrong(01 of12)
Open Image ModalIn the General Social Survey, which tracks how Americans think on a variety of issues, a majority of men and women both said that infidelity when married is always wrong — but more women agree. At least 78 per cent of men think cheating is never okay when you're hitched, while 84 per cent of women share that sentiment. In the 1970s, those numbers were 63 per cent and 73 per cent respectively, so both men and women are more likely today to be anti-infidelity, and the gap between the sexes on the subject has narrowed over the time. (credit:Shutterstock)
Men Are More Likely To Have Cheated(02 of12)
Open Image ModalData from the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy says that approximately 25 per cent of husbands and 15 per cent of wives have had sex with someone else while married. However, the fact that people are not necessarily eager to admit that they've been unfaithful — even anonymously — those numbers could be higher in reality. (credit:Shutterstock)
Women Are More Likely To Cheat Now Than They Used To(03 of12)
Open Image ModalCheating Isn't Necessarily About Sex(04 of12)
Open Image ModalIt's Also Not Necessarily About Looks(05 of12)
Open Image ModalCheaters Rarely Tell(06 of12)
Open Image ModalFifty-five per cent of the men in Neuman's study either lied when presented with evidence of their infidelity, or just didn't tell their wives it had happened. (credit:Shutterstock)
Men Are More Forgiving(07 of12)
Open Image ModalMost Men Didn't Hate Their Marriages (08 of12)
Open Image ModalIn one survey, 54 per cent of men who had cheated said that before the affair, they thought their marriage wasn't bad — or was even good. Just 34 per cent of women who had cheated felt the same. The study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family in 2008, found that those who defined their marriages as "not too happy" were three times more likely to cheat than those who said their marriages were "very happy," and even people whose marriages they described as "pretty happy" were twice as likely to cheat as the "very happy" respondents. Another study found that half of women said their marriages had problems before an affair occurred, while only a third of men felt the same way. (credit:Shutterstock)
It Doesn't Have To Be Sex To Be Cheating(09 of12)
Open Image ModalMore Men Are Okay With Kissing Than Women(10 of12)
Open Image ModalSixty per cent of men in the YouGov poll felt that kissing someone other than your partner was fine, but only 34 per cent of women agreed. Younger people were more likely than older respondents to consider a kissing cheat a reason to end a relationship. (credit:Shutterstock)
Women More Likely To Turn Affairs Into Relationships(11 of12)
Open Image ModalBoth Genders Experience Guilt (12 of12)
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