Anthony Weiner Sexting Scandal Facts: Once A Cheater, Always A Cheater, Science Explains

Hillary Clinton's top aide announced Monday she was leaving her husband of six years after he was ensnared in another public sexting scandal. Huma Abedin said she was separating from Anthony Weiner, a former U.S. representative from New York, after the New York Post posted pictures late Sunday of his latest sex chats with another woman.

"After long painful consideration and work on my marriage, I have made the decision to separate from my husband," Abedin said in statement. "Anthony and I remain devoted to doing what’s best for our son, who is the light of our life. During this difficult time, I ask for respect for our privacy."

Abedin and Weiner wed in 2010 and have a 3-year-old son, Jordan Zain Weiner. They marriage cemented their status at the time as a Democratic powerhouse couple, with former President Bill Clinton officiating their wedding.

Abedin has been linked to the Clintons since the 1990s, when she began working as an intern in the first lady’s office. Weiner resigned in 2011 after it was revealed he had been sending lewd messages and photos to random women on Twitter. He later ran for New York City mayor in 2013, but flamed out after next sexy messages involving at least three more women were made public. His latest sexting affair reportedly began in January 2015.

"How was it that Abedin, who appears so charismatic and disciplined, remains married to Weiner, a hothead who has a propensity to document his nether regions on social media?" Vanity Fair asked in a July profile of the couple.

One theory is that his falling starpower has cleared the path for her to focus on her career. "The one good thing about Weiner’s foibles is that they have made him all but unemployable, save for some spot appearances on NY1. He therefore becomes the perfect stay-at-home dad, allowing Abedin the freedom to roam around the country for what may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Vanity Fair wrote.

But should she have given up on Weiner after his sexting scandal in 2011? Is the old adage, "Once a cheater, always a cheater," a valid warning?

A University of Denver study presented at the annual American Psychological Association’s convention in Washington, D.C. in 2014 found cheaters were nearly four times more likely to cheat in their next relationships compared with people who’ve remained loyal in the past. The researcher probed the relationships of 484 unmarried 18-to 34-year-olds to get that number.

"The number one reason men don’t cheat is because they can’t cheat. And what I mean by this is, the more men have the opportunity to cheat, the more they will. The better looking they are, the more they will," sociologist Eric Anderson, author of "The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love and the Reality of Cheating," told the Huffington Post.