E-motional Affairs Are On The Rise

Relationship expert and Today columnist Ian Kerner wrote in a recent article that advances in technology is making it easier for people to cheat on their spouses. With every tap of the screen or the click of the mouse, spouses are pulled farther and farther away from their partners. With the widespread use of smart phones, tablets and laptop, it's not a surprise that many people are lured into living "secret double lives".

It is indeed very tempting to engage in online relationships because it doesn't require personal interaction. The emotional high is there but it doesn't really require commitment.

According to Kerner, many people, especially men, have been asking him if it's possible to cheat without sex. His answer to this question - "absolutely".

Sexless affairs

How does a relationship that doesn't involve sex become an affair? Kerner said that affairs usually begin in the mind. When there's an emotional connection between two people, attraction is soon to follow. When husbands or wives start sharing things that they should only be sharing with their partners, then the foundation for their marriage starts to crumble.

These can be trivial things such as current events, the weather or common interests, but they can be intimate stuff like fears, dreams or resentments. So as a person's e-motional affair develops into something more serious, the more he or she drifts away from his or her spouse.

So do you like making new friends online? Just make sure that your online friendships don't lead you to engage in e-motional affairs.

If you start hiding things about your online friends from your spouse, then it's a sign that there's something "fishy" going on.

According to Kerner, many people are hiding behind their "right to privacy" when in fact what they really want to protect is the "right to secrecy".