Personality Correlates of Attitudes Towards Relationship Infidelity

A substantial amount of research has examined the psychological factors related to people’s attitudes toward relationship infidelity (both physical and emotional) in heterosexual couples. However, with the rising usage of social media, there is an increasing gap in the literature regarding how online behaviors may play a role in impacting perception and attitudes toward relationship infidelity. Furthermore, more nuanced understanding of people’s attitudes toward relationship infidelity can be achieved by examining the underlying individual difference factors. The present study therefore examined how personality differences related to attitudes toward infidelity in romantic relationships. Participants completed measures of personality, and provided assessments for a wide range of hypothetical relationship scenarios that may be perceived as infidelity. We identified four common types of relationship situations: Social Media Interactions, One-on-one Interactions, General Social Interactions, and Ex-Partner Interactions. Analyses showed that higher Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism were generally related to greater likelihood of perceiving a behavior as an infidelity. On the other hand, higher Agreeableness was related to lower likelihood of perceiving a behavior as infidelity. This work can provide a more detailed understanding of the specific types of characteristics that are associated with attitudes toward relationship infidelity, and can contribute to the literature in both personality psychology and close relationships.