A 2011 study published in Psychological Science brings us a little closer to understanding one of the most sought-after dilemmas in our society: Why do people cheat on their partners? Do some possess traits that make them more likely to commit infidelity than others?

Using a large anonymous Internet survey comprised of over 1500 participants, a team of researchers at Tilburg University discovered that people of power or high status in society are at the highest risk of infidelity. This may help explain why so many men of power — including Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards and the latest, former CIA Director David Petraeus — have all found themselves at one time in the midst of a sex scandal.

But why are those in power most likely to cheat? The study reveals that a high level of confidence, prevalent in people holding powerful positions, is strongly associated to infidelity. It takes a certain kind of  boldness to carry out an affair with a prostitute, a coworker, a secretary, a biographer — the same type boldness that perhaps many in power used in order to secure their powerful position in the first place.

And this boldness doesn’t discriminate by gender. The results of the study did not show a link between a person’s gender and number of past affairs, nor did gender seem to play a part in determining the intensity of a person’s desire to have an affair.

Even though our history shows the majority of well-known affairs as having been instigated by powerful men, as more women climb society’s social ladder, there’s no reason to assume we won’t see their names adorning scandalous tabloid headlines as well.

It’s encouraging to continue unraveling the mysteries behind infidelity — an act for which many will continue to demand an answer to a simple, yet desperate question: why?