研究:女性更易泄漏婚外情
Women are far more likely to gossip about having an affair than men - who only tell strangers, a study reveals today.
Far from wanting to keep it secret, more than four in ten women who have cheated on their partner admitted they chatted about it with at least one friend.
In stark contrast, three quarters of men who cheat on their partner are far too scared of being found out to tell anyone at all.
But despite playing their cards so close to their chests when it comes to infidelity, it seems men are twice as likely to tell a stranger as confide in their best friend.
Just six per cent tell a friend of their affair, while 12 per cent admitted they would tell someone they had just met that they were playing around.
In contrast, the research found that 43 per cent of women who stray gossip about it to their closest friend and 15 per cent tell more than one.
A relationship expert said this is because men are far less trusting of their friends than women and are programmed not to reveal anything which could make them vulnerable.
Phillip Hodson, from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, said: 'In short, men don't tend to reveal things about themselves while women like storytelling and tend to have more confidence and trust in their friends.
'Men don't tend to bond in the same way and are loathe to share stuff which could make them vulnerable.
'They bond in terms of common experiences on stag weekends or in the pub but it's not the same as saying 'I'm sleeping with my wife's sister'.
'They fear that sort of information could be used against them. Men are used to being competitive and so they fear someone could blackmail them or betray them.
'Male relationships all contain a certain amount of banter and they may also fear that after a few beers it will all come out.
'In comparison women like to tell and share. They love the drama of soap operas and the like and they also trust their best friends not to tell.
今日發佈的一項研究顯示，女性把婚外情說出去的可能性比男性大得多，而男性只會將這種事告訴陌生人。
女性非但不想保守這個祕密，而且那些曾對伴侶不忠的女性中，超過四分之十的人承認她們跟至少一個朋友聊過此事。
與此形成鮮明對比的是，那些曾對伴侶不忠的男性中有四分之三的人由於太害怕被發現而不把此事告訴任何人。
儘管在出軌這件事上男性會盡量守口如瓶，但是男性似乎更願意向陌生人吐露這一祕密，告訴陌生人的可能性是告訴好友的兩倍。
僅有6%的男性會將婚外情告訴朋友，而12%的人承認他們會告訴剛剛認識的人自己在外廝混。
這一研究發現，相比之下，43%的出軌的女性會跟自己最親近的朋友談論此事，而15%的人會告訴不止一個朋友。
一位婚戀專家說，這是由於男性遠沒有女性那樣信任自己的朋友，他們一般不會透露任何可能讓自己陷於不利境地的事情。
英國心理諮詢及心理治療協會的菲利浦•霍德森說：“簡而言之，男性一般不會透露自己的事情，而女性喜歡述說，而且一般更信任自己的朋友。”
“男性一般不會以這種方式和朋友交流，也不願分享會讓他們處於被動地位的事情。”
“他們會在只有男性參加的週末聚會上或酒吧裏談論相同的經歷，不過這不等於他們會透露‘我正和我妻子的姐妹亂搞’。”
“他們擔心這種信息可能會被用來威脅他們。男性習慣了在競爭中生存，因而他們害怕有人會藉此敲詐或背叛他們。”
“男人之間的關係中都含有一些玩笑成分，他們也擔心在幾杯啤酒下肚後一切都暴露無遺。”
“相比之下，女性喜歡訴說和分享。她們喜歡戲劇化的肥皂劇這類東西，也相信自己的好友不會把祕密說出去。”
Vocabulary:
play one's cards close toone's chest: 守口如瓶；祕而不宣
play around: 鬼混；私混
programmed to: 天生……
stag:a social gathering attended by men only（只有男性參加的聚會）
