Emotional cheating is a type of infidelity where one partner establishes a close, intimate connection with someone who isnt their partner. It is a particular type of secretive, sustained closeness with someone who isnt your primary partner. Emotional cheating is different from physical cheating, as it doesnt necessarily involve sexual contact. Instead, it involves breaching trust by cultivating nonsexual intimacy with someone other than your primary romantic partner in a way that weakens or undermines the relationship. Emotional cheating can happen when one partner lacks appreciation for their partner, or when something creates unwanted space between the partners. Emotional cheating can cause damage and make the cheated-on partner feel betrayed. Here are some signs of emotional cheating:
- Youre keeping secrets from your partner
- Youre sharing intimate details with someone else
- Youre spending more time with someone else than with your partner
- Youre confiding in someone else instead of your partner
- Youre getting emotional support from someone else
- Youre flirting with someone else
- Youre fantasizing about someone else
- Youre comparing your partner to someone else
Its important to note that emotional cheating can be subjective and that people define cheating in different ways.
