• Commitment phobes may cheat because they fear being tied down to one person. It’s like when you go to a buffet and can’t decide which food to eat, so you end up taking a little bit of everything – commitment-phobic people are afraid that choosing just one partner will mean missing out on all the other potential options out there.
• Cheating can be a way for commitment phobes to avoid intimacy and emotional vulnerability in a relationship. If someone is scared of getting too close or opening up emotionally, cheating provides an easy escape route – it allows them to keep their distance while still enjoying the physical aspects of a relationship.
• Some commitment phobes cheat as a means of self-sabotage, pushing their partner away before they become too attached. It’s like when you’re playing Jenga and purposely knock over the tower because you don’t want anyone else to win – committing fully to someone feels risky, so some people sabotage themselves by cheating instead.
• The fear of missing out (FOMO) can also drive commitment phobes to cheat, as they worry that settling down with one person will mean missing out on other potential partners or experiences. They’re always wondering if there might be something better around the corner…or under the covers!
• In some cases, cheating may be an attempt by the commitment phobe to test their partner’s loyalty and willingness to stick around despite their fears. “Let me see how far I can push this relationship without losing them” seems like sound logic until it backfires spectacularly.
• For some individuals with commitment issues, cheating is simply seen as less of a big deal than it would be for someone who values monogamy and fidelity more highly. To these folks, infidelity might seem almost trivial compared with what they perceive as bigger threats: feeling trapped or suffocated in a long-term relationship.
• While not all cheaters are necessarily commitment-phobic, there does seem to be a link between infidelity and difficulty committing long-term in relationships. It’s like the chicken or the egg question – which came first? Did they cheat because they’re afraid of commitment, or did their cheating cause them to become more commitment-phobic?
• Commitment phobes may cheat as a way to maintain control in the relationship, ensuring that they are not the one who becomes too emotionally invested. “I’ll keep things casual so I don’t get hurt” seems logical until you realize that it hurts your partner even more.
• Cheating can provide temporary excitement and validation for commitment phobes, helping them to feel desired and wanted without having to fully commit themselves. It’s like getting high off someone else’s attention instead of doing the hard work of building intimacy yourself.
• For some individuals with commitment issues, cheating is simply seen as part of their lifestyle or personality – something they do without much thought or guilt. Like smoking cigarettes or binge-watching Netflix shows when you should be working on your dissertation…it just feels natural!
• While not all cheaters are necessarily afraid of commitment, studies have shown that people who score high on measures of avoidance tend to be more likely to engage in infidelity. Avoidance isn’t always bad – sometimes it helps us dodge bullets (or conversations) we really don’t want to deal with.
• The fear of being trapped in an unhappy relationship can also drive some commitment-phobic individuals towards cheating, as it allows them to explore other options while still keeping their current partner around. They might think: “If I’m going down anyway, why not make sure I enjoy myself along the way?”