Sexual Affairs are down: what impact on Crime Plots?

Here is an interesting societal change that may have an impact on how folks react to our plots, and may bear rethinking some aspects of plots in books under development.
"I only know what I read in the funny papers." -- Will Rogers

""Gay or straight, male or female—everyone is having fewer affairs now than they were in the 1970s. According to a new study presented here today at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association, extra-marital (and extra-partnership) sex is way down, and discussion about the topic within couples is way up..."
Monogamy Is All the Rage These Days
By Karen Schrock in 60-Second Science Blog
http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?i...

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a downturn in affairs may mean an upturn in reading about it... escapism.

not surprised in the downturn phase, people are fearful/greedy, the cost emotionally and financially is too high. But like all phases it will ride up again.... inventions will occure that make it easier to not get caught.
Probably has more to do with the aging of the population than anything else--what one did in one's 20s back in the day one is less likely to risk--and frankly less interested in--in one's 50s or 60s. The good news is, as Benjamin says, there's more time for other things--reading, visits to the doctor, the Food Network...
Actually not. If one takes some of the recent escapades by congressmen and governors as an example. Men tend to stray in middle age. And there are so many very attractive younger divorcees available.
And yes, such an affair could well involve complex shenanigans for the entire triangle. But, as I said, there are other motives here besides jealousy.
I suppose you're right--I've kind of done my whole life backwards, though. Had my mid-life crisis at 32, pretty much, had my second kid at 49. Now, what's all this about hot young divorcees?

Kidding!
Of course the whole "safe sex" issue has probably stolen a lot of the razzle-dazzle from the idea of having an affair. Somehow it's a fantasy mood-killer to have to deal with the threat of potential disease. That may account for the reduction in the number of affairs (if the survey subjects are being truthful.)

How does it impact on fiction? Dunno. The people who would be driven to murder over infeditly don't necessarily rely on the act of infidelity itself. They tend to be paranoiod types, who could easily imagine that their partner is being unfaithful. After all, the type who murders is not likely prone to logical thinking.
I guess I should say that in my opinion, the decline in extra-marital screwing (if such a decline really exists) won't have any effect on crime writers, except maybe to cause a certain amount of romantic disappointment in some circles. We're still writing about murder, after all, despite the steep decline in violent crime and particularly homicide in this country over the last thirty years.
LOL. Excellent.
Exactly. Sex is a means for us, not an end. We can use a reduced level of sexual encounters as the incitin incident for murder just as easily. I know I'm more likely to want to kill someone when--how can I put this delicately--time are lean.
Hmm. I wonder if there were a lot of murderous monks in the past. I see a glimmer of a plot here.
Umberto Eco beat you to it.
No sexual tension in Eco, if I remember correctly. It's been a while. Now Japanese monks had fairly lively sexual lives. One can see all sorts of motives cropping up in a monastery.
Not so--Adso, William's young apprentice, has an affair with a local girl who ends up being burned at the stake. Also, at least a couple of the murders are thought to be God's judgment on monks who've committed the sin of buggery.

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