Most people have heard of Ashley Madison, the popular dating site for people who are looking for a relationship outside of their marriage. But, it seems that Ashley Madison is serving a secondary purpose these days: providing information for researchers into the tendencies of human nature.

According to a report by Fox News, a study by a behavioral ecologist at the University of Manitoba, Canada, looked at the public online profiles of 200 men and 200 women who are registered on the site, making note of the preferences of the people and the type of relationship they were looking for. They also noted the ages and the ages they sought in a partner.

So, what did this study conclude? Well, basically they discovered what we’ve suspected all along. Men are more likely to be looking for no strings attached fun, while women are more interested in long term relationships. Women spent more time describing what they wanted in a partner, while men spent more time describing, particularly in terms of money, what they could provide to a partner.

The full results of the study were published in the October 17 volume of the journal Evolutionary Psychology. But it appears that we’re not as evolved as we might have thought.

Affairs and Cheating Ashley Madison, Cheating, Infidelity

The Academy Awards have come and gone for another year, and as always the Oscars created all sorts of buzz and publicity. But what you might not realize is that the world of online dating had an important role to play in this year’s Oscar telecast. Well, okay, actually it’s more accurate to say that online dating didn’t play an important role in this year’s Oscar telecast.

It all has to do with the online dating site AshleyMadison.com and a commercial they wanted to run during the Oscar show. In case you haven’t heard of AshleyMadison.com, it is perhaps the most famous online dating services specially targeted at people who want to engage in extra-marital activities. It’s all about cheating. And this year for the first time ever AshleyMadison.com tried to run a television commercial during the Academy Awards television show.

The key word here is “tried”; the producers of the Oscars telecast turned down the ad as being inappropriate for Hollywood’s biggest night of the year. Why? Because it depicts infidelity and promotes AshleyMadison.com as a resource for those who want to engage in infidelity. Of course, the folks at AshleyMadison.com are quick to point out that Hollywood is hardly a place of virtue when it comes to monogamy and marital fidelity so it doesn’t make sense to them that their admittedly steamy but not vulgar ad has been declined.

What do you think? Is this a case of hypocrisy in action? Or is it an acceptable decision intended to keep the Academy Awards telecast appropriate for all ages to view?

News & Views Ashley Madison, Cheating, Infidelity

It’s a well known phenomenon that during the cold winter months, people tend to have sex more often; just take a look at the number of babies typically born in August, September, and October, and you’ll see how true this is. But what about all of those singles out there who aren’t involved in a relationship? What do they do when a raging snowstorm keeps them inside for days on end?

Turns out, they go online and join online dating sites. From Australia to the United Kingdom to the United States, online dating services report significant surges in website visitors and new members during the winter months. This has been especially true during the winter of 2009/2010 so far because it has been such a tremendously cold and wintry season.

For instance, in the UK there are reports from MySingleFriend.com and Singles365.com that their visitor tallies were up from 27% to as much as 55% during the recent plunge in temperatures and piles of snow. And it’s not just the snowbound in the UK turning to online dating sites, either; in the United States the adultery online website AshleyMadison.com reports it gained as many as 10,000 new members each day during the recent spate of snowstorms and frigid temperatures.

So the next time you’re trapped inside by cold temperatures, snow, ice, or the like, why not take a look at an online dating site? With all of those new members signing up you’re more likely than ever to find someone special online!

News & Views Ashley Madison, Cold, Dating Websites, Winter