Being cheated on severely impacts mental and physical health, says new study

Being cheated on hurts. However, a new study claims asking yourself this question after founding out your partner wronged you could be even more damaging.

"What did you do wrong?" researchers claim can significantly impact your physical and mental health, reports the Independent.

Researchers from the University of Nevada, Reno (US) told PsyPost infidelity is one of the most distressing events in life couples face. So they set out to discover how infidelity impacts individuals who have been cheated on. For the study, they surveyed 232 college students who had recently experienced it.

They learned being a victim of infidelity can affect your behaviour, view on cheating and ability to trust. The study concluded self-blame had an indirect effect on health-compromising behaviours through mental health.

People who suffered severe psychological distress generally turned to alcohol or drugs. They were also more that likely to develop eating disorders and engage in risky behaviours.

The study also discovered who blamed the cheating partner seemed less likely to engage in risky behaviour that the one’s who blame themselves. The effects were also stronger for women than men.

The participants in the study were in their 20s and the results may differed for older people.