Is Emotional Infidelity as Bad as an Affair?
By GalTime .com. Posted on .
By Jennifer Oikle, Ph.D. for GalTime
CAN AN EMOTIONAL AFFAIR LEAD TO A BREAKUP?
So, you’re really hitting it off with that new guy in your office. You look forward to seeing him, and chatting with him... and you've even confided a couple things to him over lunch. He's just a friend, right? No harm in that...
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Hold on. Think it through. Sure, it’s good to have friends, but you could be inching down the slippery slope to emotional infidelity without even knowing it. The trouble? Emotional connections often slide into sexual cheating, even if you are happy in your current relationship. So you want to be on the lookout to protect your bond before it’s too late!
But what exactly is emotional infidelity? Emotional infidelity happens when you allow someone of the opposite sex to fulfill emotional needs that should be met by your partner, creating an intimacy that leads to an emotional attachment that then frequently culminates in sex. It can start innocently enough, that’s why you need to be aware of the behaviors that open the door to an inappropriate connection.
Related: Chatting or Cheating? How to Tell
Signs You’re Heading into Emotional Infidelity
1. You look forward to seeing him with more excitement than a typical friend, and spend more time with him than you should.
2. You find yourself dressing up and paying more attention to your appearance in a hope that he’ll notice you.
3. You confide in him about your relationship troubles at home.
4. You flirt with him, touching him while talking or making playful comments.
5. You turn to him first, before your partner, when something is troubling you.
6. You fantasize about what it would be like to be together in a relationship or sexually.
Related: Is it OK to Fantasize About Another Man?
7. You either talk way too much about him to your partner & friends, or you never mention him at all, keeping him a secret.
8. You wouldn’t feel completely comfortable telling your partner everything about your relationship with this person- because you know some of it is inappropriate.
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Basically, when you’re nurturing an emotional bond with an attractive member of the opposite sex that includes a spark of chemistry and secrecy, you know you’re in trouble!
Next: Protecting your relationship from emotional infidelity...
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