Pathways to online infidelity: the roles of perceived online dating success, perceived availability of alternative partners, and mate value discrepancy

Online dating applications have become increasingly popular in recent years and a common way for couples to meet. However, the potential implications of online dating applications for long-term relationships are not well-understood. To further the literature in this field, this study aimed to examine the association between perceived online dating success and online infidelity-related behaviours by considering two possible indirect paths through perceived number of alternative partners or mate value discrepancy (i.e., mate value relative to one’s partner) and attention to alternatives. A total of 338 individuals (Mage = 28.99, SDage = 8.31) that were currently in an exclusive long-term relationship participated in this study. A serial mediation analysis with two parallel paths revealed that perceived online dating success is associated with higher perceived availability of alternative partners and higher mate value relative to one’s partner, both of which are associated with attention to alternatives that, in turn, increases engagement in online infidelity-related behaviours. No direct association between perceived online dating success and online infidelity-related behaviours was found.