It may not pass scientific muster, but a leading private investigator has developed a theory linking financial hardship such as that experienced during a recessive economy, with an increase in marital infidelity. Likening it to other actual, proven science, the recipe for Mark McAlpin's Adultero Solatium (combining the Latin words for unfaithful marriage partner and compensation, or solace) theory combines raw numbers from his own investigative practice with a bit of arm-chair psychology and an unmeasured pour of biochemistry. Admittedly a scientific lay person, the PI says he has been rolling this theory around in his head for years, and the numbers have consistently evinced his hypothesis.
The theory basically adds another act to the well-known reliance of stressed or distressed people on the relief found in their indulgence in "comfort food."
"People just want to feel good. When they face any of a variety of troubles, it is normal to want to counter negative feelings with positive ones; with something that feels good. Think about how stressed, achy people always announce that they need a massage or vacation. Whether they settle on chocolate, a glass (or six) of wine, a hot bath, a couple of pain pills, whatever. This is the same concept as 'comfort food,' as so is my theory."
Distilled to its essence, it is basic brain chemistry, that is almost irrefutable. The feel good chemicals in the brain, the endorphins, the dopamine, the serotonin, these are in high demand, and people tend to do things to get the delivery of these chemicals and feel good to counter the negative feelings, this happens, right or wrong. McAlpin's theory only differs from the accepted version as it adds sex to the list."
This theory is based on info culled from the investigator's skip tracing site Cellulartrace.com. The investigative agency, which offers
cell phone search options, has always done more work for suspicious spouses/partners than for any other group. But McAlpin says orders based on such suspicions always increase during poor economic times, such as today. There have also been spikes in orders from areas where economic trouble has evinced itself.
"The post 9/11 stock market plunge absolutely buried us with requests." McAlpin recalls.
Although customers don't do not usually discuss the reason for their request, McAlpin says the trends are really easy to spot.
"When 85-90 percent of searches are females wanting to identify phone numbers belonging to other females, and the same for the male clients, it is pretty clear what's going on. The searches involving people asking for information on people of the same sex jumped from 50 to 90 percent in the weeks after the 9-11 attacks. Also, a ton of new orders from the Palo Alto area spring up after the first round of HP lay offs a few years ago. We're seeing the same thing right now in places facing big layoffs, and the orders coming in from the Detroit metro area show a clear trend, as well. It's, pretty hard to dismiss all of this."
McAlpin says he has seen similar increases in cell phone number search requests in other areas following disasters, layoffs and downsizing.
"There are obviously smaller examples of the same thing, but I can't look into every increase from every part of the country. There are obviously layoffs, plant closings, fires floods, etc. I'm sure the theory is would hold up in those places, as well."
It has been shown that in over 85% of cases, people who felt their partner was cheating, were right. So it stands to reason that the more suspicion of a cheating partner, as evinced by all these phone number trace orders, the more actual cheating was going on. And with the kind of glaring increases in infidelity following a downturn, recession, or disaster, it seems pretty clear that there is something to all of this.
The lack of definitive detail and corroborating outside evidence supporting the theory will surely lead some to dismiss the merits of the hypothesis. But McAlpin says this doesn't bother him in the least.
"I don't plan to plan to write a dissertation on this, I just find it very, very interesting," he says. "If my idea helps someone discover, or better yet avoid altogether, hanging a scarlet "A" around their neck, or seeing one on every time they look at their spouse, great. If those in the behavioral psychology field see enough merit, maybe someone will do some research that will bear out the truth of the matter. For me it is just an interesting way to track business trends. But who knows, I may end up on Oprah discussing this one day"
McAlpin's site, cellulartrace.com has helped countless with their infidelity concerns, from watching for signs of cheating, to actually busting the cheater, usually with the cell phone number search investigations the site is best known for.