‘Micro-cheating’ and Abuse — Why the Dating Buzzword Can be a Red Flag

Photo by Timo Stern on Unsplash

Have you heard the phrase micro-cheating? The idea is that small, harmless behaviors can rapidly turn into full-blown cheating and thus need to be nipped in the bud.

There are several definitions of micro-cheating, but what it really amounts to is minor emotional infidelity.

What Kind of Things are Being Called Micro-Cheating?

Again, the definition varies, but here are a few things that I’ve gleaned from the internet:

• Sharing a happy moment with your ex
• Complimenting somebody other than your current partner
• Speaking to your ex at all.
• Sharing a private joke with somebody other than your current partner
• Saving a phone number under a different name
• Putting heart emoticons on an ex’s photo on Instagram
• Not deleting your dating app profile
• Always replying to a specific person’s Instagram story
• Paying more attention to somebody else at a party
• Sharing details about sex to somebody who isn’t your partner
• Having lengthy work lunches with a coworker