Cheaters tend to downplay the significance of their infidelity in order to reconcile conflicting self-images, a new study has suggested.

The team, led by Joshua D. Foster at the University of South Alabama, theorized that those who cheat in romantic relationships respond in ways that reduce guilt, a reaction that is referred to as “cognitive dissonance.”

In a bid to escape guilty feelings, cheaters reframe their past acts as uncharacteristic or exceptional behavior, according to research published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships.

The team randomly assigned participants into faithful and unfaithful groups and asked fake questions based on their past relationships to gauge the degree of infidelity of participants.

The results showed that participants who were made to feel unfaithful had more negative emotions and tried to downplay their infidelity, reporting that it did not represent their true character.

By Sung Jin-woo, Intern reporter
(jinwoo0120@heraldcorp.com)