Is it really that bad out there? Do cheaters run rampant from relationship to relationship? Creating havoc and breaking hearts at every turn? Maybe so. According to a recent member’s survey put out by ELITESINGLES, unfaithfulness is far too common an occurrence in today’s relationships. You may wonder if it is even possible to avoid the pain of another’s cheating ways. Is infidelity really inevitable? What do those of us who hope for lasting commitment need to know?

• Rule #1: “Love hurts:” Get real about what’s really going on

A lot of people are cheating: 35 percent of the 633 people surveyed admitted it, and 30 percent of them confessed that cheating caused the breakup of their last relationship.

• Rule #2: “The weakness in me:” Everybody’s got a reason

In general, when asked which reasons for cheating were the worst, men and women differed significantly. Partners who were sexually unfaithful bothered the men. Women felt emotional infidelity was the more unforgivable. Interestingly, the respondents’ feelings didn’t seem to affect their own choices. The infidelity they participated in themselves, more often than not, was the exact type they said was so egregious.

• Rule #3: “It’s too late, baby:” Cheaters never prosper

For all of you champions of true love, things aren’t as bad as they appear. While pop culture seems to tout the benefits of being a shameless player and heartbreaker, real folks seem to disagree. After cheating, most people regretted it, with 89 percent of cheating survey respondents wishing they’d never done it, and saying they won’t go there again. At the heart of it all, everybody seemed to want to love one person well—and to be loved well by someone special too. The survey revealed that 79 percent of participants are all for monogamy, with 77 percent frowning on uncommitted relationships. Despite it all, most of us are still hoping for the real deal: true love.

Read the full article here: The London Economic | The low-down on cheating in a relationship