Listen "Why Do Happy People Cheat?"
Episode Synopsis
"Infidelity," Esther Perel writes in the October issue of The Atlantic, "happens in bad marriages and in good marriages. It happens even in open relationships where extramarital sex is carefully negotiated beforehand. The freedom to leave or divorce has not made cheating obsolete." Adultery is as ancient as marriage, and as contemporary relationships have evolved, Perel writes, the causes and consequences of infidelity have much to teach us about the nature of commitment. In this conversation, Perel talks with our hosts about some of those lessons, culled from numerous sessions counseling couples as a psychotherapist.
Perel is the author of Mating in Captivityand the host of "Where Should We Begin?"—an Audible original series entering its second season on October 24th. Her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, is now available in bookstores.
Links:
- "Why Happy People Cheat" (Esther Perel)
- "You Need Help to Help Her" (Esther Perel, "Where Should We Begin?")
- "Muto" (Matt Thompson, Snarkmarket)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Perel is the author of Mating in Captivityand the host of "Where Should We Begin?"—an Audible original series entering its second season on October 24th. Her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity, is now available in bookstores.
Links:
- "Why Happy People Cheat" (Esther Perel)
- "You Need Help to Help Her" (Esther Perel, "Where Should We Begin?")
- "Muto" (Matt Thompson, Snarkmarket)
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More episodes of the podcast Radio Atlantic
He's Undocumented. She's Not.
11/12/2025
Is This the End of Kids on Social Media?
04/12/2025
How Alison Roman Does Thanksgiving
27/11/2025
When Border Patrol Comes to Town
20/11/2025
What If AI Is a Bubble?
13/11/2025
Will 2026 Be a Fair Fight?
06/11/2025
Strike First, Explain Never
30/10/2025
18 Minutes From Nuclear Annihilation
23/10/2025
If the Voting Rights Act Falls
16/10/2025
Saudi Arabia Gets the Last Laugh
09/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.