In some instances ignorance may be bliss, but not when it concerns a cheating partner. If you suspect your partner may be unfaithful, these six warning signs can help you recognize questionable behavior.
Suspicious Cell Phone Habits
If you and your partner have a healthy level of trust, you should have few concerns about sharing communications with each other. If your partner has recently become protective of his or her cell phone, acts nervous when you pick it up or jittery when receiving texts or calls, it may be a cause for concern.
Changes In Bed
Both an increase and a decrease in sex can be a sign of infidelity. Your partner may have a limit to the number of times he or she can perform in a certain period of time. If they are getting sex from another source, you may notice they seem disinterested in being with you. It is also possible your partner may feel guilty and increase the number of times you are intimate. The key is noticing a shift in normal behavior.
Defensiveness
Your partner may be up to no good if he or she takes offense to simple questions such as "What did you do last night?" One of the most common defensive reactions is starting an argument to divert your attention elsewhere.
Talking About Someone New
Remember that intoxicating feeling you had when you met someone new and couldn't wait to tell the world? While you may assume your partner would not discuss his or her affair with you, many do. Some find that being half truthful is less of a burden than lying. Others find themselves thinking about the new person so often that they can't help talking about him or her.
Friends Are Acting Different
In most cases friends of the cheater will remain loyal and protect their secret. Although they will most likely not clue you in on what is going on, they may feel guilty. This could cause their behavior to change slightly when you are around.
Your Gut Tells You So
Most people in can easily recognize when their partner is acting strangely or hiding something and nearly everyone is gifted at sensing when something is wrong or "off." If your gut is sending you a message, it is worth investigating.
If you suspect your partner may be cheating, avoid an angry confrontation and examine the situation rationally and objectively. When you are ready to talk about it, find a time the two of you can be alone and discuss the changes you've noticed in the relationship.
For more information on recognizing unfaithfulness read Five Signs He May Be Cheating or Five Surprising Reasons Men Cheat.
Sources:
- Anthony DeLorenzo, Warning Signs: How To Know If Your partner is Cheating - and What To Do About It, GPP Life, December 2008.
- Jessica Dorfman Jones, The Art of Cheating: A N Little Book for Tricky Little Schemers and Their Hapless Victims, Pocket 2007.
- Raymond B. Green, Cheaters, 180 Telltale S Mates are Cheating and How to Catch Them, New Horizon press, October 2002.
- Ruth Houston, Is He Cheating on You? 8elltale Signs, Lifestyle Publications, September 2002.
Danielle McGinnis - Danielle McGinnis is the mother of a college freshman and full-time freelance writer.
