Infidelity is one of the oldest challenges to long-term monogamy that humans have encountered. As sex therapist Esther Perel points out in The State of Affairs, “despite its widespread denunciation, infidelity has a tenacity that marriage can only envy. So much so that it is the only sin that gets two commandments in the Bible, one for doing it and one just for thinking about it.”

Estimates of cheating range from 20-25% among married couples to approximately 75% of males and 68% women who are non-married but romantically committed—depending on the study and the criteria considered for what constitutes cheating. No one knows infidelity’s exact prevalence because many of us are loathe to admit we’ve betrayed a present or past partner, plus there’s growing ambiguity over what exactly infidelity entails. (Does it count if you pay the person? If it’s only virtual? If it’s someone of the same sex? If no clothes are removed? If it’s just an emotional affair?)

Regardless of the number of us who have or have not cheated, it’s important to know what factors make someone more likely to cheat in the first place. This helps us adjust our expectations about potential long-term partners and protect ourselves from getting hurt. (It also doesn’t hurt that it can increase insight into our own inclinations.)

Here are five factors that can increase a person’s likelihood of cheating:

Even........

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