Emotional infidelity is the new fad on the internet and is appropriately titled “cyber cheating.” Many homes have one to two computers making it easy to carry on an emotional affair without the partner ever knowing. It’s convenient, cheap, and fun! A person can learn a lot about an internet stranger by communicating through a few emails, texts or chats, all without the embarrassment of meeting in person.
The sharing of personal information with strangers online is commonplace on the internet. Personal details are shared on chat boards, personal websites, blogs, message boards, and porn sites. Emotional infidelity is an infidelity that occurs through emotions, feelings or thoughts, rather than physical in nature. With the increase in technology through the internet and cell phones, the traditional term of infidelity has become broader to include thoughts and/or feelings. Emotional infidelity can include anything from texting someone intimately via cell phone to emailing intimate correspondence, exchanging personal photos, or viewing pornography.
According to an emotional infidelity poll of over 4,975 women conducted by WomanSavers about 66 percent (3,328) of women believed that viewing porn was emotional cheating, whereas a mere 33 percent (1,647) did not.
In a similar WomanSaver’s infidelity poll of 5,167 women, 83 percent (4,310) of all women felt that online affairs constituted infidelity and only 16 percent (856) did not. The main difference between physical infidelity and emotional infidelity is physical contact. Physical infidelity involves people meeting directly and then engaging in physical intimacy. Emotional infidelity can occur in distant locations with absolutely no physical contact occurring. The primary difference between traditional cheating and emotional infidelity is actual, physical contact. With emotional infidelity, there may be a meeting, but it can occur on a cell phone or a computer. Some people who emotionally cheat don’t consider the act to be a true form of infidelity because there is no physical contact. Others see no difference between physical and emotional infidelity because emotional infidelity has the same basic behavioral actions as traditional infidelity.
When actor Brad Pitt became emotionally involved with Angelina Jolie on the set of Mr. and Mrs. Smith, it was only a matter of time before their emotional infidelity led to physical infidelity, resulting in a divorce between he and Jennifer Anniston. When a person cheats, they flirt and seduce another regardless of whether they are in physical contact or not. The problem results when the partner pays emotional or physical attention to someone other than his or her mate.
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