The Recent Tiger Woods Affair – 2009-12-07

The recent Tiger Woods affair leads me to wonder why is it that so many rich and powerful men are philanderers? Does wealth and power equal bad judgment OR is there more to it than that? First I think men are by nature inclined to be polygamists. They are attracted to multiple women partners. I mean there has to be a reason why there are at least 300 female strip clubs to every male strip club.

Secondly I think that women are genetically attracted to men of wealth and power. So these guys have women throwing themselves at them wherever they go, and these men are likely away from home more than the average working guy. That's tempting for the best of men. And I suspect that older a man gets, the more he wants to be attractive to young women, to re-assert his masculinity and the more likely he is to allow himself to be tempted.

Thirdly, most men who become rich and powerful aren't shrinking violets. Even the famously geeky, like Bill Gates, are eventually forced to come out of their labs and become confident – even aggressive – men. To stand at home plate with fifty thousand people watching, or to try and tee up a long drive on national television demands a level of confidence that's only a short step to a sense of entitlement.

If you accept these premises, then the question is who is to blame for these men having extra-marital affairs. Is it the men themselves, the women who are throwing themselves at them, or is it just nature?

Ultimately, of course it's obvious that men are responsible for their own behavior. They're adults, and do have the ability to “just say no”. But that's always easy to say, and less easy to do. Sex isn't strictly about rational thought or rational behavior. Add up primal urges, frequent temptations, and a sense of invincibility, and you've got an explosive brew that's just waiting to blow. I don't think it's any surprise that so many of these high-powered famous men can't resist.

Then, there's the dirty little question of why there's no shortage of women who are more than happy to have affairs with married men. I guess we'll have to read Tigers' girlfriends' tell-all books to get their perspective!