Micro-cheating is a term used to describe behaviors that are not traditionally considered true infidelity but that have some features of infidelity, like dishonesty and secrecy while in a committed relationship. It involves engaging in subtle actions that demonstrate interest in someone outside of ones own relationship. Micro-cheating can breach a couples spoken or unspoken norms, trust, and boundaries in other ways. It is a subtle form of cheating that doesnt involve physical intimacy with another person, but the actions do break a couples agreements about romantic exclusivity in other ways.

Micro-cheating behaviors can include actions like regularly texting someone they find attractive, obsessively liking their social media posts, messaging or texting someone in a flirtatious way, lying about your relationship status online or in person, keeping a dating profile to see if you get matched with someone "better" than your main person, giving your phone number to a person you know is attracted to you, going to extra lengths to look attractive so you can impress your crush at work, and more.

Since these behaviors are not blatant instances of cheating, it can be tricky to confront or deal with a partner who may be micro-cheating. This can lead to a slow erosion of trust, which can spell disaster for your relationship. Trusting your romantic partner is integral to a fulfilling and happy relationship. In fact, science tells us that having trust in a partner is crucial in predicting whether a relationship will remain free of troubles and turmoil. If micro-cheating has become an issue in your relationship, it is important to directly discuss it with your partner. Its important for the person who has been micro-cheating to understand how it makes their partner feel and to commit to changing their behavior.