A MINIMUM of three in every 100 married people in our shire would be willing to cheat, according to the most recent statistics from the Ashley Madison infidelity website hack.

Other data found more than 85% of accounts from Murwillumbah to Tweed Heads were owned by men.

Dr Rustam Yumash, of the Brain, Mind and Memory Centre Tweed Heads, said not all those men were necessarily unhappy in their marriages but just responding to natural instinct.

“Our sexual behaviour reflects the nature demand for preserving our species.

“In Bonobos - our closest relatives in primate world - there is a lot of promiscuity. This trait obviously contributed to their survival.

“Some studies highlighted factors like the age of the first marriage, education level, number of previous marriages (in infidelity).”

At first glance it would seem our regional areas were more faithful than Tweed’s CBD. Three percent of the population in towns like Murwillumbah were on Ashley Madison, compared to 5% in Tweed Heads. In capital cities the figure jumps to 10%.

Dr Yumash said higher levels of technology use could be the reason for the disparity.

It is possible to repair a relationship if both partners are willing to talk, preferably through a qualified counsellor or psychologist.

“(They need to) examine underlying factors that took them into this situation in the first place,” Dr Yumash said.