How Do You Define Cheating?
What constitutes cheating? The answer might depend on whether you’re asking a man or a woman. Physical cheating, emotional cheating or cheating online (dating apps or on social media) sound clear-cut, however, changes in the way people communicate and the rise of social media have made the limits of what exactly constitutes cheating much fuzzier.
Physical Cheating
A recent survey of over 2,000 adults in the UK provided some curious insights into the perception of cheating. Physically having sex with someone other than one’s partner was perhaps the one activity not in question with 94% of women and 89% of men in agreement on this form of infidelity. From there, the numbers split with 73% of women counting kissing someone else as cheating, where only 51% of men consider kissing a form of cheating. On the lowest end of the physical cheating spectrum, only 15% of men view visiting strip clubs as cheating and 21% of women agree.
Online Cheating
Online cheating shows an even greater split in the cheating views of men and women. Surprisingly, using dating websites and apps such as Tinder, Bumble, OkCupid and Hinge is considered cheating by only 49% of women surveyed and 32% of men. Stepping up the ladder of online cheating options, paying for a webcam partner or cybersex falls into the cheating category for 50% of men and 75% of women. While not technically “online” but within the technology realm of infidelity, sexting (sending sexually explicit photos and messages through text or messaging apps) is considered cheating by 80% of women but only 62% of men.
Emotional Cheating
The murkiest form of cheating is emotional cheating with no strong enough consensus points to offer discernable data from this particular survey. Overall, both men and women agree on two major elements of what defines emotional cheating – breaking your partner’s trust and the emotional relationship crosses the line in a way that is disrespectful of your partner.
The most important thing any man or woman can do is have an honest and open dialog with their partner about how they define cheating. Discuss boundaries. Communication is key in understanding where both people stand in the relationship when it comes to the activities discussed here and infidelity. In most cases, this communication should be an open topic as more technology options to connect with other people become available. If you suspect your partner is already cheating, Bulldog PI can help you get the answers you deserve.
