Is He a Cheater? Science Warns He Might Be at This Certain Age.

Have you ever felt anxiety at the thought of entering a new decade? Think being 19 and entering your 20s, or being flirty and thirty...nine, and being on the cusp of 40. Studies show that people whose age ends in a "9" are more likely to make both positive and negative life-altering choices in their lives, and among them, are significantly more likely to cheat than at any other second-place digit. 

Men aged 29, 39, 49, and 59 made-up more registrants on cheating websites than any other ages. In fact, those with an age ending in 9 were over-represented by as much as 18%.

We could stop here, but let's delve into why being at these ages makes people cheat, or otherwise makes other categorically "great" or "horrible" life choices. Well we're already here, on the topic of age, and chances are the mere number is enough to put people into a frenzy. A number ending in a "9" alludes to the end of that decade, and the soon-to-be-dawn of a new one. Some people relish in that, and are empowered by life going onward, and plan life goals for the next decade to come, while others panic. 

Questions like "does my life have meaning?" and "can I accomplish all that I have set out to do?" are real questions that people ask themselves, and not everyone's optimistic about the answer. For the married 39-year-old, perhaps he notices his looks beginning to fade (okay, or is that the 49-year-old?) and becomes uncomfortable with the idea of only sleeping with his wife for the rest of his mortal life. He feels a sense of urgency to cash-in on the youth that is left, and reclaim the agency he relinquished years ago, when he took a vow of marriage. Never mind the promise, this feels more existential, and abstract than the words, piece of paper and celebration of years past.

Another item to consider, is that the basis of the study is self-reported data, on online sources. It's also possible that when lying about age, people defer to the next age up or down ending in a "9". Like how some people may say they're 129 pounds, instead of 130. However, if we're taking cheaters' words for it, that 29, 39, 49 or 59-year-old bae is more likely to betray.