An expert in relationships has shared insights on what signs to watch for if you think your partner might be cheating.
According to PR Newswire, the United States ranks highest among countries for infidelity, with a staggering 71 percent of respondents admitting to being unfaithful as reported last year.
There are numerous reasons individuals might stray from their partners. A 2017 study revealed that men who confessed to infidelity cited reasons such as ‘the other person was really attractive’ or being pursued.
In contrast, suggested motivations for women include emotional neglect, a desire for power, and dissatisfaction with their sexual relationship.
If you have suspicions about your significant other being unfaithful, relationship expert Tracy Cox provided eight warning signs to be aware of in her article for Mail Online.
If your partner seems inseparable from their phone and insists on bringing it everywhere, Cox identifies this as the most telling sign of cheating.
“Cheaters keep it with them, always,” she noted.
“Even in the bathroom when they’re having a shower. They’ll swiftly swipe up if they see you looking over their shoulder or left to delete something.”
Cox points out that a sudden desire for more privacy from your partner could be a warning sign.
For instance, if they start locking themselves in the bathroom when they previously left the door open or become ‘twitchy’ if you sit near them while they’re online, these could be indicators.
You may also notice a decrease in how much they share about their day.
A significant sign to watch for is if your partner used to frequently mention a ‘friend’ from work and suddenly stops bringing them up. According to Cox, this ‘usually means the relationship has moved from an emotional to a physical affair’.
If your partner’s stories about their whereabouts seem inconsistent or frequently change, it could be a sign of infidelity.
The longer an affair continues, the more likely they are to make a mistake.
“The longer the affair, the higher the chance you’ll see inconsistencies in their stories – especially if they know they’re being cornered,” Cox explains.
“Research shows our memories are less reliable under stress.”
A sudden increase in gym visits or significant changes in appearance might indicate they’re trying to impress someone else, potentially hinting at an affair.
Cox suggests that ‘major lifestyle changes’ of this nature are strong indicators of infidelity.
Such messages are often explicit, and if they are unexpected, it’s likely the text was meant for a lover, not you…
Cox provided an example where a friend mistakenly sent a text intended for her lover to her husband.
It read: “You’re going to be inside me in under one hour.”
If your partner claims to be meeting a friend at a Manhattan bar but Find My Friends locates them on Staten Island, something suspicious is likely happening.
Many couples agree to use location-sharing apps like Find My Friends, allowing partners to track each other, often forgetting this feature is active.
Cox states that 34 percent of individuals who discovered their partner’s infidelity did so through digital means like these location apps.
If your partner is having an affair, it’s likely they’ve confided in at least one other person about it.
This can create a chain of people who know if that initial confidant shares the secret with someone else – often their own partner.
As Cox describes it, if your partner becomes emotionally distant, it’s a classic sign they’re preoccupied with someone else.
She wrote: “The reason why people withdraw is obvious – guilt makes it difficult to meet the eye of someone you are betraying. Or, if your emotional energy is invested elsewhere, your partner might now seem sadly lacking and not worthy of your love.”