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Why do we cheat on our partners?

Could the answer lie in our DNA, our upbringing or our lack of self control?

Infidelity is seen as the ultimate betrayal, and many relationships are brought down by it. Around the world most of us agree that it’s wrong for a married person to have an affair, but that doesn’t seem to stop us: why? The answer could lie in our DNA. In this week’s Why Factor, Phoebe Keane hears how research into the mating habits of prairie voles could shed light on the extra marital affairs of humans and explores how we make decisions in the heat of the moment.

Guests:
Professor Steven Phelps, University of Texas at Austin
Assistant Professor Andrea Meltzer, Florida State University
Professor Lucia O’Sullivan, University of New Brunswick
Nicolle Zapien, Professor California Institute of Integral Studies, Psychotherapist, and Sex Therapist

Presented and Produced by Phoebe Keane
Editor: Richard Knight

Available now

24 minutes

Last on

Tue 12 Nov 201903:32GMT
BBC World Service West and Central Africa

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Broadcasts

  • Mon 11 Nov 201909:06GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & East Asia only
  • Mon 11 Nov 201913:32GMT
    BBC World Service except News Internet
  • Mon 11 Nov 201918:06GMT
    BBC World Service Australasia
  • Mon 11 Nov 201921:06GMT
    BBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
  • Mon 11 Nov 201923:06GMT
    BBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
  • Tue 12 Nov 201902:32GMT
    BBC World Service except West and Central Africa
  • Tue 12 Nov 201903:32GMT
    BBC World Service West and Central Africa

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