Why Do Happy People Cheat?
And what can infidelity teach us about commitment? Jeff, Alex, and Matt talk with Esther Perel, author of "The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity," and host of the podcast "Where Should We Begin?"
October 20, 2017
50 min
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Episode 16 · October 20, 2017
Why Do Happy People Cheat?
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50:10This episodeWhy Do Happy People Cheat?
Summary
"Infidelity," Esther Perel writes in the October issue of The Atlantic, "happens in bad marriages and in good marriages. It happens even in open relationships where extramarital sex is carefully negotiated beforehand. The freedom to leave or divorce has not made cheating obsolete." Adultery is as ancient as marriage, and as contemporary relationships have evolved, Perel writes, the causes and consequences of infidelity have much to teach us about the nature of commitment. In this conversation, Perel talks with our hosts about some of those lessons, culled from numerous sessions counseling couples as a psychotherapist.
Perel is the author of Mating in Captivityand the host of "Where Should We Begin?"—an Audible original series entering its second season on October 24th. Her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, is now available in bookstores.
Links:
- "Why Happy People Cheat" (Esther Perel)
- "You Need Help to Help Her" (Esther Perel, "Where Should We Begin?")
- "Muto" (Matt Thompson, Snarkmarket)
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