Specialists say men have stronger desires, have a more difficult time controlling them

Aug 30, 2013 18:16 GMT  ·  By

Experiments carried out with the help of 218 volunteers in the US have shown that men are more likely to cheat on their life partners and spouses than women are.

However, this isn't because they have less self-control. Thus, specialists say men experience stronger desires and, therefore, have a more difficult time controlling them.

As part of their investigations, researchers asked male and female volunteers to describe the intensity of their impulses when confronted with a potential partner that was off limits.

They also asked them to perform a reaction-time task that boiled down to their accepting or rejecting potential partners in a virtual environment, sources say.

It turns out that, more often than not, male volunteers experienced stronger desires and also needed more time to turn down a potential date.

Yes, I know, big shock. I really didn't see this one coming.

According to the researchers, “This difference emerged because men experienced stronger impulses, not because they exerted less intentional control.”

A detailed account of this investigation and its findings is made available to the public in the latest issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.