It’s safe to assume that no one wants to see their relationship crumble or believe that their partner could ever cheat on them. But unfortunately, quite a few of them do, consequently destroying not only their relationship, but their partner’s ability to trust, too.
In addition to difficulties trusting someone after having been cheated on, people might also experience depressive symptoms or deal with lowered self-esteem. “The impact of this life-altering event challenges the person’s sense of self, safety and trust in another who is supposed to be their ‘secure base’ for love and adoration,” experts suggest in a study of love and infidelity. “Thus, infidelity leaves some at risk of turning towards unhealthy coping mechanisms such as excessive drinking, drug use, unprotected sex, and suicidal behavior in response to their emotional pain.”
Despite being a somewhat common reason for breakups and divorce, infidelity doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone. People might draw the line at different things, as for some, their partner developing feelings for someone else is enough, while others only consider it cheating if people act on it. But no matter where the line is drawn, infidelity usually involves a breach of trust.
According to Simply Psychology, cheating is “something you do behind your partner’s back, something you know you shouldn’t do and therefore keep a secret.” That’s why some people might consider something seemingly innocent, such as a text, to be equally detrimental to catching their partner in bed with someone else.
According to Simply Psychology, there are three types of cheating – physical, emotional, and digital; or, perish the thought, all three together. And while being physically or emotionally unfaithful is in no way a recent phenomenon, digital infidelity is something that has arguably escalated with the increase in technology use.
Some sources suggest that virtual cheating or cyber-infidelity is so widespread that as much as a quarter of Tinder users are in a relationship while using the app and roughly one-in-ten committed people admit to using websites for finding extramarital partners, such as Ashley Madison.
The aforementioned Ashley Madison website, used by people seeking adulterous affairs, is just one example showing that quite a few committed people seek romantic adventures outside of their marriage or their relationship. A recent Netflix docuseries on said dating site sheds light on not only the fact that a large number of people cheat on their significant others, but also showed that the truth might come out at any minute; as it did with the cheaters mentioned on this list.
Nowadays, with technology and social media being an integral part of our everyday lives, it’s not surprising that the two play a role when it comes to infidelity, too. Seeking to evaluate said role, Deseret News commissioned a poll, which found that many people consider sexual relations with someone else cheating, but they’re less sure where to draw the line when it comes to interactions over the internet.
According to the poll, roughly three quarters of Americans believe that a one-night stand or a consistent sexual affair counts as cheating. However, only half of them (51%) say that sending sexually explicit text messages is cheating, only 63% believe that maintaining an online dating profile while in a relationship is cheating, and less than a fifth (16%) consider following an ex on social media cheating.
But the same way technology and social media enable people to cheat on their partners, they can also play a part in the truth revealing itself, especially if the cheater leaves their chats open in plain sight or sends a spicy message to the wrong person. Though this list shows that these are far from the craziest ways a cheater might be caught.
