Do Men and Women View Cheating Differently?

Originally published at lmt-lss.com on December 6, 2015.

Be it emotional or sexual, cheating is unacceptable for both men and women.

Infedility is like a crime in a relationship. It not only affects the relationship drastically, but also changes the people involved significantly. In most cases, it causes the relationship to end.

However, cheating is perceived differently by both men and women. Men consider cheating to be more of a physical act intended for pleasure, while women tend to get emotionally attached after having cheated on their partners.

While a woman is more likely to forgive her man after he’s cheated on her, the same cannot be said about a man — who’s more likely to end the relationship if such a thing were to happen.

Men and women’s response to pornography also differs. When a man catches his partner watching porn, he finds it exciting. But a woman has the tendency to feel inadequate and betrayed if she sees her partner watching porn. Women think of it as their inability to please their man, and that becomes a source of much discontent and unhappiness in the relationship.

In specific instances, such as in matters of keeping in touch with an ex, women feel quite insecure and jealous, especially if the guy has a tendency to flirt. Men, on the other hand, are not likely to see this as a big issue. Although, a sense of paranoia can set in even for a man, depending on the specific situation.

Things get more complicated with social media in the mix. A simple ‘like’ on someone’s sexy picture can be asking for big trouble. The man’s social media behavior is likely to affect women more than women’s can affect men. But the possessive men will, no doubt, take offense.

When it comes to having a best friend from the opposite sex, a man always views his girlfriend’s male friends as a threat. A woman is much more considering in this matter and takes it in her stride, often thinking it’s healthy for him to have a female friend.

As you can see, the specific instances when men and women feel insecure and jealous — and the extent to which they feel it — vary, but they both do certainly feel it. No gender is averse to cheating. They all hate it, and it should be kept at bay if a relationship is to last.