Are you micro cheating in your relationship? Know what it means

In today's digital age, modern dating and relationships have become all the more complex. We live in an era where simple gestures like not posting pictures with your partner or liking an attractive person's pictures on social media, can lead to troubles in one's relationship. And this has also led to the coining of a new relationship trend called 'micro-cheating', which is often seen on social media.

What is micro-cheating?
Micro-cheating can be explained as small acts by a person, which might not be considered as full-blown cheating but can feel like a betrayal to their partner. According to Psychology Today, micro-cheating is “small breaches of trust in a relationship that don’t cross the threshold into a physical affair.” However, these are little things or behaviours by a person that could make their partner feel betrayed and question their emotional or physical commitment to their relationship. In the long run, it can damage one's romantic relationship and can even lead to a break-up.
Some examples of micro-cheating are:
- Romantically chatting with or texting or calling another person, without your partner's knowledge.
- Talking to one's ex-partner or staying connected to them by liking their pictures, without their current partner's knowledge.
- Stalking, liking, or commenting on an attractive person's pictures or posts online.
- Being on a dating app or site, despite already being in a relationship.
- Hiding one's relationship with their partner on social media.
- Complaining about your partner to other people.
How is micro-cheating harmful to your relationship?
For those who are already in a relationship and indulging in micro-cheating, such actions reflect some major issues in their relationship-- like lack of communication, or attraction between the partners. While micro-cheating may seem harmless on the surface, it could lead to a lack of trust between the partners in a romantic relationship. It could also make the person who is being micro-cheated on to question their partner and their relationship. Meanwhile, a person who started with micro-cheating their partner can even cheat them emotionally or physically in the near future.
And so, one needs to address the underlying issues in their relationship, which is causing one to micro-cheat on their partner. As always, open, honest, and clear communication is the key to any relationship's success. It is important to discuss and define what is cheating for both partners, as what could seem as micro-cheating to one could seem like harmless banter to the other.
Remember, healthy relationships are hard work and it takes efforts from both partners to make it work.