Which is worse: emotional or physical cheating?

Question

Which do you think is worse and why? Physical cheating where there is no emotional attachment or emotional cheating and both parties have no been physically intimate?

rjroy3 · Accepted Answer

Only one of them guarantees the relationship is over by and large. If someone else has her heart she is gone, even if they haven't been butt touchin just yet.

But realistically there's almost always been a little something. Very intimate conversations, her touching him, smiles, hugs. Having fantasies about the guy. Prodding questions more or less to give her an idea of what the relationship would be like with him because instinctually she's setting things up to jump to him after ending things.

Sex is often just the final snip to make the jump. Emotional cheating is the ground work.

Raph37 · Accepted Answer

Is good to know what is action.
And what causes us to cheat.
Just by thinking about a different person sexually who is not you boy-girlfriend or even spouse. You alreay cheated him/ her in your mind.
Both do the same thing if your partner knows about it.

However, Is good to be open and share with your partner what's going on your head.
And what would be a good idea so things can work or if they won't.
Maybe to some is a turn on. So, somethings can be explored. Or close to what can be possible between both.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I don’t think there is difference. I will end the relationship if one of them happens. I can visualize how He fucks someone and i feel disgusted or i can feel how He feels something emotional to someone and i feel disgusted. Neither of them is forgivable. He must share the pleasure of sex and romanticism with me. If He prefers to share it with someone, i will end the relationship.

Kas19 · Accepted Answer

I think they're both equal. I'd hope that my partner would let me know once he finds himself "crushing" on someone else so we could talk about it and work through it together. But if her pursued her anyway, I think it would be just as bad as physical cheating. Either way he went behind my back, decided me, and decided to break his loyalty and my trust.

livin_hi_808 · Answer

WTF? That's some straight in your feelings, My Chemical Romance crybaby millennial BS lol.. There's only one type of actual cheating in my eyes and that's the type that creates a form of discord, discomfort and distrust between you and your partner. If it includes an outside party and actions that give
J your partner a truly valid reason to feel bad or sad then that COULD be considered cheating basically. I'm old fashion though. I don't give a fuck who you talking to. Hell I don't give a fuck who you're talking to lol. As long as I'm still able to have my way with her then I'm good

Browneye57 · Answer

They are equally insidious in breaking down the primary relationship.
In many cases, the emotional affair turns into a physical or sexual one when the parties actually meet up, if they ever do. Usually there's a lot of pent up sexual desire.

OTOH, I've seen a lot of whiny pink anons on here that are barely even dating age, claiming their boyfriend has cheated on them. Like they are entitled to some kind of exclusivity at an age and time just past childhood where experimentation takes place and none of the players are ready to commit to any one person anyway.

djmzes · Answer

Simple

Which is worse: emotional or physical cheating?

Which is worst does not make the other one acceptable.
Secondly it is not the cheating that breaks thing, but once you cheat, the trust is broken and no one relationship human relationship can live without trust. It is the foundation. No foundation no building.

TrueConfection · Answer

I agree with @floppy2112 about the lines being blurred. Physical cheating is easy to identify whereas emotional cheating is subject to interpretation (idea for another question I'll post).

I think it's natural to have emotional connections with other people, but a spouse falling in love with someone else is worse than a loveless affair.

Floppy2112 · Answer

Uh, physical. If the cheating is physical, the emotional part is a given. I am not a fan of this idea of emotional cheating idea. It's so arbitrary and loosely defined, anything can be considered. If your SO is physical with another, you have no doubts. Let's make our lines well defined and easy to understand. Making it messy with arbitrary rules just introduces a new set of problems.

godfatherfan · Answer

For me, emotional. that is why women cheating is even worse, as they are more likely to have an emotional attachment to the person they are cheating with. But regardless of who/what/when/where/why, whomever is cheating is a complete piece of worthless dog shit and a truly despicable human being. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

igaveyouanickname · Answer

I don't necessarily believe in physicaly monogamy unless it's been agreed to, and I have had a lot of bi/pansexual girlfriends where we would openly get with their girlfriends.

Emotional because it's the deception and lack of trust that violates basic human relationships. For example, seeing other people in secret or starting other relationships that weren't disclosed. It's the deception that I view as a lack of character and I lose all respect for them.

Bobsyeruncle · Answer

Far and away the ‘‘emotional’ cheating is worse.

THAT can destroy an otherwise perfectly secure, happy and productive marriage.

‘Physical’, cheating, where my wife gets that ‘fire down below’ going and lets you put your ‘Tab A’ up into her ‘Slot B’ for 15 minutes or so is of no interest to me beyond the possibility that the two of you might be persuaded to let me enjoy watching you guys while you fuck.

Eyering · Answer

I'm majoring in psychology as a college student, and I read an (maybe more than one, I don't remember) interesting research paper (s) about how more men care about physical cheating over emotional cheating, and how more women find emotional infidelity more upsetting.
However, I browsed the existing opinions for this question, and I think the correlation is not that obvious.

Personally I consider emotional infidelity more disturbing.

mvpverona · Answer

They are equal. Cheating is cheating and are equally bad. This should not be done at all. If you plan on cheating with someone just break up with the person.

kyleelyn199723 · Answer

Both are equally just as bad. If you are emotional cheating, then your heart is not on your partner and if you physically cheat, your body is not for your partner only and your eyes are not on your partner only.

Gwenhwyfar · Answer

Both are bad but sometimes a legit close friendship gets confused with emotional cheating. I think physical cheating is worse.

Mark83 · Answer

Can you define emotional cheating? Where would you draw the line between it and a close platonic friendship?

Medhat-M · Answer

Physical... Because at this point you already did emotionally.. So you're doing both.. The whole damn thing

TommyMountainFigure · Answer

The key word here is 'cheating' they are equally bad!

Pj1981 · Answer

Good question, I am going with physical even though if you know your partner is thinking about sex with someone else it can effect you the same way I think

Avicenna · Answer

Guys usually say physical, women usually say emotional

darkfoxjj · Answer

Keeping it secret and not giving your partner the choice to leave you. And also perhaps STDs.

HugoThe2nd · Answer

I don't consider emotional cheating to be cheating. So I guess I'm going with physical.

Nazgol · Answer

Physical. Emotional is not intimate and not serious but physical you're actually choosing to give pleasure to someone else other than your partner and it's wrong

Aristomachos · Answer

Emotional is worse every time. Physical is for once emotional can go on forever and build up every time.

JennBITx · Answer

Physical in my opinion because it will lead to an emotional side every time

humanearth · Answer

Both are pretty fucked up. But I think physically cheating is worse

IncognitoBandito · Answer

Emotional cheating is probably more common but it's potentially more damaging if it lasts for awhile.

worldscolide · Answer

Both are the same to me.. I have zero tolerance for that in my life.

backblueblack22 · Answer

In general physical cheating harms men more. Emotional cheating harms women more.

Wise4myage · Answer

Both really hurt, but physical cheating is worse because their is contact.

JamesRandiDebates · Answer

I'll say physical. No man ever caught an STD or was ever tricked into raising another guy's child because of emotional cheating.

Clarke498 · Answer

How can you be physically cheating without mentally doing it too?¨

Twalli · Answer

Emotional, because that means your love for the person you are with is less.

salsa93 · Answer

Both are just as bad but when someone begins getting emotionally attached to someone else I think it's worse.

Anonymous · Answer

Emotional. There can be no valid relationship when one of them is emotionally elsewhere.

daddy_issues_69 · Answer

Physical as they physically touch another human being when being with you

Justaguy1290 · Answer

Dont hate me feminists, but i think for a guy emotional and for a girl physical

Flower7 · Answer

I feel like both are equally bad.

Ninani · Answer

It's not about the how, but the why.

PositiveNote · Answer

They are both emotional when you find out!

Anonymous · Answer

Emotional cause if it just physical ok but emotional feeling can be worst take longer to recover.

BButterfly · Answer

Both are in the same level of equality

Uptowngirl88 · Answer

Both, shouldn't be tolerated

Cassieee18 · Answer

They are equally bad in my opinion.

keirl · Answer

My opinion both because cheating is cheating

peedy · Answer

No. such thing as emotional cheating

DeltaCharlieEcho · Answer

Cheating is a physical act.

Fuentes · Answer

Both. but Physical is worse

Unicorn_lover_2002 · Answer

Definitely physically

bamesjond0069 · Answer

Physical no doubt about it.

888theGreat · Answer

Physical for a man and emotional for a woman

damaster · Answer

Tbh both of them are just as bad

Hadyyy · Answer

Both are the same. Cheating is cheating

Eric98 · Answer

In my opinion both 😥

Slim57 · Answer

Theyre both just as bad

MCheetah · Answer

Obviously, physical.

Azaelia · Answer

Emotional.

SamFromFL · Answer

Emotional

Recurrence · Answer

Emotional

genericname85 · Answer

All the same to me.

pink_and_inlove · Answer

Both in my opinion

Anonymous · Answer

both are bad  THE BIBLE SAYS SO

Anonymous · Answer

Both.

Which is worse: emotional or physical cheating?

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