Ashley Madison Hack Uncovers New Jersey’s Infidelity Habits

When the infamous extramarital affair website Ashley Madison was hacked in July 2015, more than 300,000 New Jersey users were identified. New Jersey ranked fourth in the United States for the most money spent on ashleymadison.com, coming in behind Alabama, Colorado, and the District of Columbia.

On the list of the top 100 New Jersey municipalities for Ashley Madison users developed from the hacked information, Toms River ranked #6 and Freehold ranked #21. It is important to note that this data is based on user-reported locations that were uploaded to a world map by Tecnilogica, a Madrid-based digital agency and might not be 100% accurate. However, it does show the prevalence of Ashley Madison use in New Jersey fairly accurately.

According to Psychology Today, between 30 and 40 percent of Americans engage in infidelity at least once in their lives. 17% of divorces in the United States are attributed to infidelity.

Infidelity Facts And Statistics

Studies show that men and women generally cheat for different reasons: men for sexual gratification, and women for emotional intimacy. Approximately 25% of relationships suffer from infidelity at some point. Factors like education level and religious beliefs can have an effect on how likely an individual is to cheat – individuals who have more education, stronger religious beliefs, and are in their first marriages are less likely to commit infidelity than their less educated, less religious counterparts and those who have been married more than once.

Infidelity does not always destroy a marriage. Couples who seek relationship therapy and make it a point to work on their marriage often emerge after an affair with a relationship stronger than the one they had before infidelity. The key to successfully moving past infidelity is communication. Couples who discuss their frustrations and their disappointments with each other can recognize and correct these issues before either partner feels like he or she needs to look outside the marriage for emotional or sexual fulfillment.

Infidelity As Grounds For Divorce

Infidelity is one of the legal reasons, known as “grounds,” that a couple may state for their divorce. Although couples are no longer required to provide grounds for divorce when filing and may instead simply state “irreconcilable differences” as their reason for seeking a divorce, spouses who are victims of infidelity and other forms of mistreatment may still state these as their reasons for seeking divorce. In New Jersey, asserting infidelity as the reason for divorce can affect the couple’s alimony determination. For example, a spouse who committed infidelity might be barred from receiving alimony or receive a smaller amount than he or she seeks.

Divorce Attorneys In New Jersey

If you are considering filing for divorce, contact The Law Office of Eric B. Hannum Esq., LLC. at (732) 365-3299 today to schedule your free legal consultation with our firm. We proudly serve clients in Monmouth, Ocean, Mercer, Middlesex, and Burlington counties. Infidelity hurts. Divorce can be difficult. Consider all of your options for ending your marriage during your legal consultation with us.