These are the 7 types of people who are most likely to cheat. (Apparently).

Image: Match Point

Being cheated on has to be up there with life’s most most heart-demolishing experiences. Your trust gets shot to hell, along with your sleep, your happiness, your faith in humankind and your confidence.

Perhaps the most infuriating part of discovering your partner’s straying ways is that you rarely see it coming. Because of course you don’t – nobody ever goes into a relationship thinking, “Well, they’re inevitably going to cheat on me, probably several times, but it’ll be great while it lasts!” (Or do they? That’s concerning.)

RELATED: These are the 10 most popular perfumes among cheaters

Really, there’s no way of telling whether your partner is ‘The Cheating Type’. It’s not a blood type or mutant gene you can be tested for. But that hasn’t stopped researchers and dating websites from trying to pinpoint some warning signs.

Various studies over the years have examined the personality traits and behaviours that are common among cheaters. Some of the findings have been a bit of a stretch (#2, anyone?), but others kind of make sense. Here are just some of the claims out there:

1. The number nine

To paraphrase Sesame Street: “Infidelity, brought to you by the number nine!”

Research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences last year found that people are more likely to cheat when they’re at an age that ends in nine — 29, 39, 49 and so on. It sounds like a weird superstitious thing, but it makes some sense; as the study authors explained, milestone ages like 30 and 40 are “psychologically consequential”, so as they loom closer we’re more likely to take a hard look at our lives and engage in drastic, life-changing behaviours. For some of us, that’s a haircut. For others, unfortunately, it’s a little something on the side.

Now we can’t help but wonder… how old were these philandering movie and TV characters? (post continues after gallery)

2. Tall men

A survey by extra marital website Illicit Encounters claimed that men who measure in over 5'10" were twice as likely to cheat as their shorter counterparts. If you happen to be dating a tall glass of water right now (why hello there, Eva Mendes, Isla Fisher and Hayden Panettiere!), we're not sure exactly what you can do with this information. But hey, good luck to you.

RELATED: 9 reasons your relationship might be failing.

3. Rock 'n roll lovers

Here's another (somewhat questionable) finding from that Illicit Encounters survey: 41 per cent of cheaters using the site said they preferred rock music over other genres. Perhaps they just take the 'sex, drugs and rock 'n roll' mantra a little too seriously.

But here's the really weird part — apparently, rap lovers tend to be more loyal. To be fair, Kanye and Kim seem pretty smitten with one another...

4. Tweeting = cheating

A study last year concluded that high amounts of Twitter use could contribute to infidelity. This is because people who are active Tweeters are more likely to engage in relationship confrontations that could ultimately result in cheating, break ups or divorce. Maybe the best takeaway from this is to occasionally put the phone down and, you now, talk to your main squeeze.

5. IT guys...

They seem so unassuming, but a 2012 survey by cheating dating website Ashley Madison found IT guys are more likely to engage in extra-marital adventures than men in other lines of work. Ahh, the seductive powers of knowing how to fix a dodgy laptop... Of the 11,453 straying fathers surveyed by the website, 10.6% worked in IT and engineering, followed by the financial industry (8.2%) and education (6.5%). Doctors and lawyers made up 4.6% and 3.8% of the study, respectively.

RELATED: Romance isn’t dead: science says monogamy is natural, too.

6. ...and female teachers

As for us women, it's the teachers who are apparently the ones to stray. A separate study by Ashley Madison found the average unfaithful wife was married for five years or less and most likely to be a teacher, stay-at-home mum or working in the medical industry.

7. Cheaters

Leopards, spots, etc. etc. A University of South Alabama study last year found people who had been "poached" by their current romantic partners were more likely to be unfaithful again in their new relationships, as they were "less committed, less satisfied, and less invested in their relationships". The research also revealed that introverts were more likely to be stolen away from their relationships than extroverts, as they were often more passive and went along with the poaching attempts.