There’s nothing quite like finding out your partner has been unfaithful to make your heart sink into your stomach, anger levels soar, and self-confidence plummet.
Yep, being cheated on sucks.
However a new study has found that being cheated on might not be the worst thing to ever happen to you after all.
In fact, it's something like a blessing in disguise…
The research conducted by Binghamton University, New York, demonstrated that women who lose their partners to another women end up better off in the long run.
So it turns out your girlfriend’s comforting chat has some scientific ground after all – hurrah!
“Our thesis is that the woman who 'loses' her mate to another woman will go through a period of post-relationship grief and betrayal, but come out of the experience with higher mating intelligence that allows her to better detect cues in future mates that may indicate low mate value.
"Hence, in the long-term, she 'wins."
Craig Morris – the lead author of the study said - expanded: “The 'other woman,' conversely, is now in a relationship with a partner who has a demonstrated history of deception and, likely, infidelity.
"Thus, in the long-term, she 'loses.'"
To date, plenty of research has gone into looking at the short-term effects of being cheated on. It’s pretty much what you’d expect – a great deal of emotional distress.
Plus wine, ice cream, rom coms and a hair cut.
But this New York based college delved into the more long-term consequences of cheating, asking 5,705 participants online in 96 countries anonymously about their breakup experiences.
They found that being cheated on actually lead women to work on their own personal growth, both within and beyond the realm of romance and dating.
While it can be said for both sexes, women in particular seem to have adapted to cope with heartbreak and cheating more positively in the end.
Basically, we feed off that negative energy to become even more awesome.
To date, this is the largest ever cross-cultural study on the messy business, so it holds some serious water.
Morris, who specialises in biocultural anthropology and evolution, said: "If we have evolved to seek out and maintain relationships, then it seems logical that there would be evolved mechanisms and responses to relationship termination, as over 85% of individuals will experience at least one in their lifetime,"
Now that’s some inspiration to get you through heartbreak!
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