A new study by researchers at Brigham Young University has found that people can accurately detect infidelity in others, even if they don’t know them. The study, published in the journal Personal Relationships, suggests that humans have an innate ability to recognize unfaithful behavior, which may have evolved as a survival mechanism in the Stone Age.
The study involved 51 participants who were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their own relationships and fidelity. They were then filmed while one partner was blindfolded and asked to draw a picture based on the other partner’s description. The videos were shown to other participants who did not know the couples and were asked to judge whether the couples were faithful or not.
Surprisingly, the participants were able to accurately judge the fidelity of the couples in the videos, based solely on their behavior. The researchers then repeated the experiment with 43 more couples and found similar results. The study authors suggest that this ability to detect infidelity may have evolved as a survival mechanism in the Stone Age, when a person’s survival depended on having a faithful partner.
According to the researchers, this study provides evidence that humans have an innate ability to recognize unfaithful behavior, which may be useful in identifying potential threats to a relationship. While jealousy and suspicion are common in many relationships, this study suggests that people may be able to rely on their intuition to detect infidelity in others, even if they don’t know them.
Overall, this study sheds light on the complex nature of human relationships and the role that evolution may play in shaping our behavior and instincts. While further research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind this ability to detect infidelity, this study provides a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of the human mind.
