Sexual Affairs are down: what impact on Crime Plots?

[Newt Love]

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...

[Chip Cook]

My ex-wife did not get the news in time!

[Karyn J. Powers]

That just leaves the six other deadly sins to work with.

[Benjamin Sobieck]

I think this has to do with the increase in non-marital cohabitation. It's not an affair if you're not married. And if you're not married, you're writing more. Right? Right?

[Newt Love]

First, the survey didn't focus on marriage, but on monogamy, regardless of the wedding vows...

So if a sexual affair in no big deal for some, then it is hardly a motive to kill.
The study says that now 44% (male) gay, 5% lesbian, and 3.5% hetero think that sex outside the relationship is fine, then for (male) gay it would not be a motive, but lesbian and hetero may be more of a motive than in the 1970s.

But what is the impact of more open discussion about the topic? What does that mean as a society, and for the general mindset of our readers. Perhaps if Lesbians and heteros are discussing it, then a betrayal of infidelity would provoke more intense emotions, or would it mke it more likely to be diffused by more discussion?

Honestly, I don't know. Just trying to feel my way in the dark. Human pathos was never my forte.

[Eric Christopherson]

Yeah, but I hear lying on survey forms is up 40%.

[I. J. Parker]

I don't believe it for a minute. There are simply some facts of life and the behavior of human beings that do not change.
Furthermore, even if many people take adultery of the spouse more calmly these days, there are always the types that lose it completely. In fact, the papers still carry a lot of murder-suicides that have to do with spousal infidelity.

[I. J. Parker]

I should add that this type of murder is usually passion-driven and doesn't lend itself to a murder mystery anyway, because our plots require an ingeniously planned crime. You'll have to look for an additional motive.

[Chip Cook]

Maybe you could, if your person regains some presence of mind quickly. You could have all kinds of fun with the cover-up, and the cover-up of the cover-up, and with money-related, family together time. I see any number of nifty twists.

[Jon Loomis]

our plots require an ingeniously planned crime

They do? Ruh roh.

[I. J. Parker]

It's a bit easier for police procedurals. Verisimilitude requires the cops to deal with some of the more common scenarios.

[Donna Carrick]

Oh good one, Dan!

[Kris Neri]

How many people, as a percent of the population, actually commit murder, and puzzling murders at that, as opposed to barroom fights that end in deaths and gangland drive-bys? Relatively few. And yet, an entire genre has been built on that rare occurrence. A slight downturn of one possible motive makes no difference. Anyway, fiction is about the aberrations, not the norm.