Editing Infidelity (section)

===Cultural variation===
Often, gender differences in both jealousy and infidelity are attributable to cultural factors. This variation stems from the fact that societies differ in how they view extramarital affairs and jealousy.<ref name=Hupka85>{{cite journal | last1 = Hupka | first1 = Ralph B. | last2 = Buunk | first2 = Bram | last3 = Falus | first3 = Gábor | last4 = Fulgosi | first4 = Ante | last5 = Ortega | first5 = Elsa | last6 = Swain | first6 = Ronny | last7 = Tarabrina | first7 = Nadia | year = 1985 | title = Romantic Jealousy and Romantic Envy: A Seven-Nation Study | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-cross-cultural-psychology_1985-12_16_4/page/423 | journal = Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology | volume = 16 | issue = 4| pages = 423–46 | doi=10.1177/0022002185016004002| s2cid = 145376600 }}</ref> An examination of jealousy across seven nations revealed that each partner in a relationship serves as each other's primary and exclusive source of satisfaction and attention in all cultures. Therefore, when an individual feels jealousy towards another, it is usually because they are now sharing their primary source of attention and satisfaction. However, variation can be seen when identifying the behaviors and actions that betray the role of primary attention (satisfaction) giver. For instance, in certain cultures if an individual goes out with another of the opposite gender, emotions of intense jealousy can result; however, in other cultures, this behavior is perfectly acceptable and is not given much thought.<ref name=Hupka85/>

It is important to understand where these cultural variations come from and how they root themselves into differing perceptions of infidelity. While many cultures report infidelity as wrong and admonish it, some are more tolerant of such behaviour. These views are generally linked to the overall liberal nature of the society. For instance, [[Danish society]] is viewed as more liberal than many other cultures, and as such, have correlating liberal views on infidelity and extramarital affairs.<ref name=BlowHartnett05>{{cite journal |last1=Blow |first1=Adrian J. |last2=Hartnett |first2=Kelley |title=Infidelity in Committed Relationships II: A Substantive Review |journal=Journal of Marital and Family Therapy |date=April 2005 |volume=31 |issue=2 |pages=217–233 |doi=10.1111/j.1752-0606.2005.tb01556.x |pmid=15974059 }}</ref> According to Christine Harris and Nicholas Christenfeld, societies that are legally more liberal against extramarital affairs judge less harshly upon sexual infidelity because it is distinct from emotional infidelity. In Danish society, having sex does not necessarily imply a deep emotional attachment. As a result, infidelity does not carry such a severe negative connotation.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Harris|first1=Christine R.|last2=Christenfeld|first2=Nicholas|year=1996|title=Jealousy and Rational Responses to Infidelity Across Gender and Culture|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_psychological-science_1996-11_7_6/page/378|journal=Psychological Science|volume=7|issue=6|pages=378–79|doi=10.1111/j.1467-9280.1996.tb00394.x|s2cid=36000699}}</ref> A comparison between modern-day Chinese and American societies showed that there was greater distress with sexual infidelity in the U.S. than in China. The cultural difference is most likely due to the more restrictive nature of Chinese society, thus, making infidelity a more salient concern. Sexual promiscuity is more prominent in the United States, thus it follows that American society is more preoccupied with infidelity than Chinese society.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Geary|first1=David C.|last2=Rumsey|first2=Michael|last3=Bow-Thomas|first3=Christine|last4=Hoard|first4=Mary K.|year=1995|title=Sexual Jealousy as a Facultative Trait: Evidence from the Pattern of Sex Differences in Adults from China and the United States|journal=Ethology and Sociobiology|volume=16|issue=5|pages=355–83|doi=10.1016/0162-3095(95)00057-7}}</ref> Often, a single predominant religion can influence the culture of an entire nation. Even within [[Christianity in the United States]], there are discrepancies as to how extramarital affairs are viewed. For instance, [[Protestants]] and [[Catholics]] do not view infidelity with equal severity. The conception of marriage is also markedly different; while in Roman Catholicism marriage is seen as an indissoluble sacramental bond and does not permit divorce even in cases of infidelity, most Protestant denominations allow for divorce and remarriage for infidelity or other reasons. Ultimately, it was seen that adults that associated with a religion (any denomination) were found to view infidelity as much more distressing than those who were not affiliated with a religion. Those that participated more heavily in their religions were even more conservative in their views on infidelity.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Burdette|first1=Amy M.|last2=Ellison|first2=Christopher G.|last3=Sherkat|first3=Darren E.|last4=Gore|first4=Kurt A.|year=2007|title=Are Their Religious Variations in Material Infidelity|url=https://archive.org/details/sim_journal-of-family-issues_2007-12_28_12/page/1553|journal=Journal of Family Issues|volume=28|issue=12|pages=1553–581|doi=10.1177/0192513x07304269|s2cid=145714348}}</ref>

Some research has also suggested that being [[African American]] has a positive correlation to infidelity, even when education attainment is controlled for.<ref name="Treas, J. 2000"/> Other research suggests that lifetime incidence of infidelity does not differ between African Americans and whites, only the likelihood of when they engage in it.<ref name="Wiederman, M. W. 1997"/> Race and gender have been found to be positively correlated with infidelity, however this is the case more often for African American men engaging in extramarital infidelity.<ref name="Choi, K. H. 1994"/>{{Clarify|reason=|date=February 2018}} [[Human mating strategies]] differ from culture to culture. For example, Schmitt discusses how [[tribal culture]]s with higher [[pathogen]] stress are more likely to have polygynous marriage systems; whereas monogamous mating systems usually have relatively lower high-pathogen environments.<ref name="Schmitt, D. P. 2005"/> In addition researchers have also proposed the idea that high mortality rates in local cultures should be correlated with more permissive mating strategies.<ref name="Schmitt, D. P. 2005">{{cite journal | last1 = Schmitt | first1 = D. P. | year = 2005 | title = Sociosexuality from Argentina to Zimbabwe: A 48-nation study of sex, culture, and strategies of human mating | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_behavioral-and-brain-sciences_2005-04_28_2/page/247 | journal = Behavioral and Brain Sciences | volume = 28 | issue = 2| pages = 247–274 | doi=10.1017/s0140525x05000051 | pmid=16201459| s2cid = 25458417 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Buss|first1=David|last2=Schmitt|first2=David|date=1 May 1993|title=Sexual Strategies Theory: An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Mating|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/14715297|journal=Psychological Review|volume=100|issue=2|pages=204–32|doi=10.1037/0033-295X.100.2.204|pmid=8483982}}</ref> On the other hand, Schmitt discusses how demanding reproductive environments should increase the desire and pursuit of biparental, monogamous relationships.<ref name="Schmitt, D. P. 2005"/>