Infidelity increasing in the US?

The number of people in the US who have cheated on their partners is increasing, according to new research.

Lust, Love & Loyalty, a survey conducted by MSNBC.com and iVillage, reveals that one in four married adults has committed adultery although men and women had different ideas as to what actually constitutes cheating.

Both male and female participants in the study agreed that physical affection such as kissing can be considered cheating. However, while 77 per cent of women feel that online sex talk either through chatrooms or via webcams is classed as infidelity, only 57 per cent of men agreed.

Moreover, 73 per cent of women felt that flirtatious emails sent to a colleague is cheating, but just 53 per cent of men were of the same opinion.

Julia Sommerfeld, senior health editor for msnbc.com, said: "The good news is that most of us fear cheating more than we really need to. People overestimate the rate of cheating by nearly double.

"Perhaps that's because we're deluged with images of cheating at the movies and in celebrity magazines. We think if Reese Witherspoon and Sienna Miller are getting cheated on, who's safe?"

Interestingly, the findings also showed that 81 per cent of women and 62 per cent of men agreed that cheating was never acceptable.