Can Mania Drive You To Have An Affair?

Cheating: When Love Lies

You can’t stand the sight of your spouse. You feel nothing but contempt for your partner. You’re obsessed with idea that someone who actually deserves you is out there. In your mind, nothing could be worse than living out the rest of your life with the person laying next to you, eating meals with you, vacationing with you, and yes - once or twice a year - having sex with you! So you - like the 75 million plus people on Ashley Madison and other married but dating sites - give yourself permission to have an affair. You’re imagining the incredible sex, affection, and understanding you’re going to get from your affair partner. But what happens when the fantasy falls short, your affair ends miserably, and your spouse finds out you’re cheating? Moreover, what if your affair is brought on, in part, by mania or compulsive tendencies? We’re not talking clinical research or medical advice here, but my guest and I do take a completely unscientific yet imaginative look at the relationship between mania and affairs. Inna Swinton, author of the witty, captivating, and Kirkus lauded novel “The Many Loves of Mila,” joins me to talk about how her protagonist discovers the role mania plays in her infidelity, and if her character’s struggles actually occur in real life.