How Common Is Infidelity?
No matter where you go, you can’t seem to escape it. Couples are walking hand in hand on the sidewalk. You can see them gazing into one another’s eyes at a restaurant. They’re laughing together in a store. Even in the comfort of your own home, you’re watching them kiss on the television or reading about a romantic relationship forming in a book.
Meanwhile, your world feels like it’s falling apart. The jewelry you used to wear every single day is now collecting dust in a jewelry box. The picture frames on your walls once held happy, smiling faces. Now they’re completely empty, waiting to be filled with new memories. Your closet, bed, and entire home feel a lot larger lately.
You could’ve never even imagined this would happen to you in a million years. You used to be one of those happy couples, but here you are feeling broken and trying to put the pieces back together again.
Is infidelity common? Let’s find out!
What is Infidelity?
Before we can answer how common infidelity is, let’s first dive into what infidelity consists of. Infidelity is any type of emotional or sexual activity that takes place outside of an agreed-upon relationship. These are some of the most common causes of infidelity:
Desiring someone else who isn’t your partner
Emotional infidelity
Flirting
Hugging
Kissing
One-night stand
Sexting
How Common is Infidelity?
It’s hard to determine how common infidelity actually is. All relationships are set up differently. They don’t have the same set of guidelines, rules, or regulations. Being intimate with another person, whether the intimacy means any type of physical contact, usually falls under the category of infidelity by most couples. But let’s say you’re in a committed relationship but decide to have a night out with your friends. You both drink a little too much, get caught up in the moment, and kiss one another. Some couples would consider this as cheating and others wouldn’t. Flirting is another grey area when it comes to couples.
This all being said, there has been a lot of research done to try to determine how common infidelity actually is. A little less than half of the respondents, 46% of them, shared that they had affairs when in monogamous relationships. Almost a quarter of respondents stated that they stayed together even after infidelity. A little less than 50% of respondents stated that they established a new set of boundaries and rules after being affected by infidelity in their relationship. In today’s world, infidelity may be more common than you think.
How to Move Forward
Cheating affects both partners in negative ways, no matter if you’re the one being cheated on or the one that is doing the cheating. When you get cheated on, it’s common to feel things like betrayal or unworthiness. It’s also common to feel disgust, guilt, or regret if you’re the one who is or has cheated on your partner.
Healing from infidelity is hard but it is possible. After experiencing infidelity, you may feel like you’re alone or should isolate. This can only lead to feeling worse about the situation. Help is available to you no matter what.
After experiencing infidelity, you must determine how you want to move forward. You can either choose to stay with your partner and work it out. Or you can choose to end things and move forward in your lives separately. A licensed and trained mental health professional can assist you with this process. They’ll work with you one on one to help you better cope with all of the emotions you may be experiencing.
Reach out to us today to set up a consultation.
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