Article: Religiousness and Infidelity: Attendance, but not Faith and Prayer, Predict Marital Fidelity, Journal of Marriage and Family (May 2008)
Summary: It’s no surprise to hear that religiousness is linked to a decreased likelihood of marital infidelity. But David Atkins and Deborah Kessel (Journal of Marriage and Family, May 2008) look a little closer at this relationship and ask what exactly about religion keeps spouses from coveting their neighbors’ wives. Contrary to what some may expect, the authors found that religious attendance, but not faith and prayer, predict marital fidelity.
Using data from the 1998 General Social Survey, the authors constructed nine different ways of measuring religiousness: nearness to God, attendance, prayer, viewing religion as a problem, transformation, doubts, forgiveness, faith, and a punitive view of God. The authors found that religious attendance was the only measure that significantly predicted rates of infidelity. Individuals who rarely if ever attend services are about four times more likely to have an affair compared to those who attend religious services with great frequency. Higher education, extreme high ($110,000 or more) or low (under $10,000) income, previous divorce, and marital unhappiness were also predictors of infidelity.
These findings go against the idea that personal beliefs are just as powerful as public religious attendance, at least when it comes to fidelity. Moreover, the authors find that “endorsing religion as being very important without the behavioral component of attending services was positively associated with infidelity.” The authors argue religious attendance prevents infidelity because it is often a shared activity among spouses, implying shared values, and opens up cheaters to shame and embarrassment from a community if revealed. It appears that dragging your spouse to church on Sunday morning may do more than restore their faith in God.