Could COVID-19 cause wives to cheat? How pandemics affect sexual desire

The coronavirus has impacted society and affected our behaviour in many ways from an increase in our use of social media to keep connected to friends and loved ones, to keeping socially distant when we venture out.  However, what effect could the virus have on our sexual behaviour?  More specifically what affect will it have on our likelihood of seeking out additional sexual partners outside of our current relationships?

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Genetic immunity from disease is obviously necessary for the wellbeing of a women’s offspring, yet because there are no real obvious visual indications of genetic immune functioning in men, beyond perhaps appearing to be in good health, it may be difficult for women to select men on this criterion. The only way in which women can attempt to increase the probability of strong immunity in their offspring in a time of infection in the environment, is to engage in a multi-male mating strategy, which would provide the genetic diversity afforded when their children are fathered by different men.

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[R]esearchers found that perception of disease had an effect on women’s desire for variety in their sexual partners.  In other words, they found that those who indicated a vulnerability to illness reported an increased desire for a greater number of diverse sexual partners.  

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