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Fertile Feelings Lead to Wandering Eyes?

By Eric Sabo

While scientists have not discovered an excuse for infidelity, they can at least offer an explanation for why some women are inclined to cheat: their fertility cycle. In a small study, researchers found that women were more likely to flirt with men when their chance for getting pregnant was at its highest.

The handsomest of the bunch, as always, have little to worry about. The urge to be unfaithful was mostly felt by women who rated their partners low in "sexual attractiveness relative to investment attractiveness." In other words, the average boyfriend or husband is nice to have at home, but the guy across the bar looks better.

Dr. Martie Haselton, the lead author of the study, says that such shallow desires act as a stand-in for a girl's reproductive best interest.

"Women can't see a man's genetic make up," says Haselton. "So, they come to prefer good genes on the outside."

You may fall for the nerdy type, but your reproductive urges favor the masculine and attractive, regardless of whom you happen to be dating at the time.

"Women have a biology that can lead them to stray," says Haselton.

These urges served a purpose in ancient times, when a man's scruffy good looks conferred an evolutionary advantage to a woman who wanted the strongest offspring possible. But in the age of private eyes and divorce lawyers, those who sneak around with the alluring hunter-gatherer type are now likely to find trouble.
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