When thinking about types of affairs that can ruin a marriage, many people immediately think of physical ones that involve sex. While those can surely lead to divorce, an emotional affair can be just as damaging if not more so.
An emotional affair is basically an affair of the heart. You may not be sleeping with the person, but you may think about him or her a lot. You may flirt with each other and have deep, intimate conversations with one another. You may eventually develop feelings toward the person and go out of your way to see him or her.
Emotional affairs often start as friendships. They can happen in the workplace, online, or in the neighborhood. While they may seem harmless at first, emotional affairs take a person away from his or her marriage. If your marriage is suffering because you are spending too much time with another person, you are having an emotional affair.
How do Emotional Affairs Start?
Technology is making it easier for people to have emotional affairs. It is now possible to have an affair without even leaving the home or even meeting the person in real life, thanks to social media, online chats, and dating websites. These affairs often start off innocently enough and quickly escalate, resulting in destroyed marriages. In fact, one-third of marriages end because of inappropriate social media use.
If you are married but act single on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, then you are opening yourself up to an affair. Creating fake profiles and posting sexy photos are just the start. If you are following people or constantly checking the statuses of others, you may be having an emotional affair. Sending flirty messages, using emojis and commenting on the posts of others are also suspicious behaviors. Telling secrets, confiding in others, exchanging contact information and making plans to meet up are also behaviors that lead to damaging affairs.
Signs of Emotional Infidelity
Is your spouse cheating on you? Look for these emotional affair signs:
- You spend more and more time with the person.
- You think about the person constantly.
- You are hiding the relationship from your partner.
- You share secrets with the person.
- You try to look your best whenever you see the person.
- You are less intimate with your partner.
- You feel like you understand each other.
- You get butterflies when you see the other person.
- You develop sexual feelings toward the other person.
- You communicate with the person at all hours of the day.
- You would be upset if your partner was in this same situation.
Contact a Divorce Lawyer Today
Even if there is no physical contact, emotional infidelity can ruin a marriage for good. A person wants to be able to trust his or her spouse, and when that loyalty is nonexistent, the couple tends to drift apart, leading to divorce.
If your marriage is on the rocks because of an emotional affair, it may be time to consider divorce. Brooklyn divorce attorney Theodore Alatsas ESQ can help you understand your options. Contact our office and schedule a consultation today. Call (718) 233-2903.
