RESEARCH: Higher sexual impulses in men is responsible for their infidelity

- The research showed that men's sexual urges are indeed stronger than women's
- Men can still use self control to quash their sexual impulses and so cheating is still not excused

It is a commonly-held belief that men are more likely to be guilty of sexual indiscretions than women.

However the previous idea that men give into temptations such as cheating because they lack self-control has been undermined by new research.

The Department of Psychology at the Texas A&M University has found that men are more susceptible to ‘sexual slip-ups’ than women because their sexual urges are far stronger, and not because they have less self-control, Science Daily reports.

The study suggests that the fact that men are more likely to pursue ‘forbidden’ romantic interests is simply due to stronger sexual impulses than women, a fact often assumed, but until now not backed by science.

Published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the research investigated participants' real-life responses to temptation by asking about their past behaviour, as well as how their sexual impulses related to their self control by using a rapid-response test.

The participants were shown both good-looking and less attractive members of the opposite sex in quick succession, with each picture being rated as either ‘good for you’ or ‘bad for you.’

Men experienced a much higher impulse to accept the desirable people, regardless of whether they were rated as ‘good’ or ‘bad’.

However according to the researchers, these findings did not excuse a man’s errant sexual ways, as self control can override these impulses.

There was no difference in the extent to which men and women exerted self control, and thus although men feel stronger urges, they are just as able as women to control them.

Author of the study Natasha Tidwell said: ‘When men reflected on their past sexual behavior, they reported experiencing relatively stronger impulses and acting on those impulses more than women did.

‘When men and women said they actually did exert self-control in sexual situations, impulse strength didn't predict how much either sex would actually engage in 'off-limits' sex.’

Co-author of the study Paul Eastwick added: ‘Men have plenty of self-control - just as much as women. However, if men fail to use self-control, their sexual impulses can be quite strong. This is often the situation when cheating occurs.'