'Once a cheater, always a cheater' is totally true, say scientists

That's a bit unkind Serkeen- I remember you thanking me for my sympathetic enquiry after your DH (speaking as another long term hospital visitor)
And disagreeing is not necessarily "sarcasm"
I AM sorry when "good enough" English words are supplanted by Americanisms, but that's a subject for Pedants' Corner or the "Words you hate " thread.
Ah well. Win some, lose some.

Son in law had an affair, daughter forgave him and took in back. Had another affair after getting very heavily into debt, and she finally threw him out. Now they are getting on really well again because (rightly) she wants the children to have a dad. But would you welcome him back into the family, I find it really hard?

Can I just say the cat variety is spelt Cheetah, a beautiful creature which bears no resemblance to the ugly, rotten human cheating creature some men and women resemble. You're right circumstances change and relationships change, but let me say there is no excuse for Adultry, no matter how it's spelt!

Agree completely with radicalnan - people are wired differently, and some require more excitement in their lives than others. Excitement is part of the 'cheating' experience, whether it's via sex, shoplifting, or in a game of cards. In marriage, how would you ever really know if a spouse who has been found cheating and forgiven, subsequently remains faithful. S/he may genuinely realise that s/he has much to lose if repeating the behaviour and resist all urges, but I very much doubt whether this happens in the majority of cases - it may just be a question of being more careful not to be found out. Personally, I have worked with several men and women who I know to have been serial cheats, and yet managed to hold their marriages together. The fact that they behaved this way shows that they valued their marriages and the children coming from them, but that those marriages didn't give them the thrill they craved for. It's a human condition unfortunately.

Good post Serkeen. I post From experience and I believe once a cheat always a cheat, from my experience they get away with it the first time and that gives them the confidence to do it again. I am yet to be proved wrong, always hoping tho.

Totally disagree...i know of married couples, who split up in their 20's and 30's, because they met other people.....in the 60's many people got married really young because you couldn't live together very easily unless you were married. You grow up a lot between 20 and 30, and you sometimes grow away from those you may have met in your teens. A lot if my friends are in very happy second marriages - over 30 years in many cases. It's not like that now thank goodness, now living together and having children without marriage is totally acceptable and hurrah for that.

Cheating is part of nomal human behaviour, we don't like it very much but it is. Lovely to think that some couples remain exclusive to each other but not sure that is what nature intended.

I think people who cheat do repeat the behaviour, sadly for the spouse involved, some people just find the excitement of sex, risk and the thrill of the chase irresistable.

I do think that if somebody has the capacity to "cheat" in any way then that is ingrained in their make-up. Whether you are cheating on your spouse, or in an exam - the underlying values are the same in that you are not honest.

I don't think this statement is true. I believe a person who cheats will most probably cheat many times. It's because at any point someone strokes their ego, they move towards that subject. It's a self esteem issue. Once they get a grip on that, they will most probably have a better relationships.

"Cheater" is perfectly acceptable. It is included in the good old Oxford dictionary and is defined as being of North American origin.
Once again Americanisms creeping into our language, but as language is always evolving, we just have to accept it.

I often wondered what I would do if my husband cheated, would I forgive? He hasn't in 40 years of marriage, so I don't think he will now. I love and trust him completely.
However, you don't know what goes on in other people's relationships. As said before, they are very complex.

Cheetah...fast animal. Cheater...person who wants a piece of everyone's pie...

I wouldn't be too phased @Serkeen - a speedy member of the big cat family is a cheetah not a cheater

In my book a person who cheats is definitely a cheater as in a person who beats is a beater

Mawbrown I copied and pasted it directly from the newspaper headline and so if they got it wrong I got it wrong, and is that really more important than the actual subject. I feel that you follow me on gransnet and when ever I post you immediately post something sarcastic, why do you do that?

He needs to be speedy if he's caught out!

Isn't a person who cheats just called a "cheat"!
No confusing him with a very speedy member of the big cat family.

I disagree. Relationships can be very complex and some people are vulnerable at particular moments.

I'm not sure I agree, either
I think peoples heads can be turned for all different reasons, although that doesn't justify it, of course.