The UK is bracing itself for more frequent heat waves this summer, with record-breaking temperatures across Britain. And according to experts, there’s an indirect impact of rising mercury that Brits need to be warned about - cheating.
The UK’s leading dating site for marital affairs, IllicitEncounters.com, reported a huge spike in traffic to their site last weekend, increasing 64% in a single day compared to the same time last year. The website claims this hot rise in traffic is a result of a rise in temperatures.
Jessica Leoni, Sex and Relationships expert at Illicitencounters.com, said: "It’s not just ice cream sales that skyrocket during a heatwave - it’s cheating too.
“The novelty of prolonged periods of hot weather makes us more excited, and usual rules don’t apply. The UK is becoming more accustomed to hot spells, and there’s plenty of scientific literature on what this can mean for cheating.”
Daniel Kruger, evolutionary psychologist at the University of Michigan, said the hot weather takes us back to being a child and summer means no school, freedom, and fun. That attitude carries over into adulthood, leaving us with the sense that during these months, the usual rules don't apply.
Some people take this to mean that it's okay to cheat once the hot weather rolls around. They think, 'Oh, it's just a summer fling' - as if normal couple behaviour is on hiatus.
Helen Fisher, author of Why We Love, says the sun makes you more apt to try something new, and any novelty increases your body's production of dopamine, which triggers the release of testosterone - two chemicals associated with energy, elation, and sex.
Jessica said: "Throw into the mix people being more social in summer, and the hotter the weather the less clothes you tend to wear and we have the perfect storm for cheating.”
Jessica added: “The hot weather causing a spike in cheating is a pattern we often see on Illicit Encounters. During last year’s heatwave also in June, we saw a 54% spike in traffic to our site. And we are seeing a correlation between degrees and debauchery too, with the higher the heat the higher the rate of cheating.
"Having polled 1,000 of our newest members this weekend an eye popping 71% agreed the hot weather made them hornier, with 67% admitting it was either partially or entirely their reason for signing up to the site.”
