Online affairs and relationships have been growing in frequency and intensity as broadband connections have become more common and easy to access.
However, despite being common, according to most people, an online affair cannot be termed as infidelity or cheating, but, on the contrary to popular belief, online affairs have an emotional and sexual undertone, which can be most definitely termed as cheating.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), the use of web and internet have increased by 120 percent over the past few years which has resulted in an exponential increase in online affairs.
According to the article, a study carried out in 2008 in Australia showed that 10 percent of the adults were in an online relationship, 6 percent of people had online partners whom they had met personally, and 8 percent of adults had experienced cybersex.
These were the stats, moving on to how an online affair affects your married life.
Related reading: 10 Things Cheaters Say To Hide Affairs
Mostly, as stated by the APA, online affairs lead to feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and betrayal leading to a divorce in most cases. However, in situations like these, making people aware of the root cause and helping them eliminate it is the only way to cure the problem.
Let’s start:
Signs Your Wife is Having an Online Affair
Just like a basic, old school affair, an online affair can also take a toll on your marriage and your partner’s attitude with you.
If your wife is having an online affair, you will start noticing the typical signs of disconnection.
There may be a lack of intimacy from her side and she may start distancing herself from you. You might find a lack of her interest in celebrating small milestones, such as birthdays, anniversaries.
Your spouse might even try to change her routine including her sleep pattern to get more alone time. You will find her using her phone/ tablet/ laptop a lot.
The overall enthusiasm in your intimate moments might not be the same as before.
You may even find your spouse uninterested in anything sensual.
She will start making a lot of excuses for missing parties, events, and date nights. This can happen more if they are having an affair with someone who lives in a different timezone.
Related reading: Should I Stay With My Wife After She Cheated?
Also, get ready to bear the heat as your spouse may begin to fight with you for no reason. They may even password protect their mobile device or show frustration whenever the internet connection is poor.
In addition to this, she may suddenly start to take more selfies to share with her love interest.
You can also pay attention to her status, profile photos, and profiles in general.
- Is her friend list suddenly private?
- Has she deleted pictures you have taken together?
- Is she online late?
- Is she suddenly posting romantic statuses?
All these signs indicate an online affair. However, you can never be sure if she’s having one so make sure to move and find proof.
It may be a good idea to use a phone spying software so that you know exactly what she is up to behind your back.
Dig For Some More Information
If you suspect your wife of having an online affair, it might be time for you to revisit your marriage and your relationship with your her.
No matter how betrayed and hurt you feel at the moment, you need to understand that it’s not over yet. She might not be having an intimate affair or she may not think it is wrong to have an online affair.
Related reading: How To Prevent Infidelity In Your Marriage
Hence, sit down and think about why she is having an affair. But, do not make the mistake of blaming yourself.
Most people who have an online affair do it because they do not get enough attention from their partners. They need someone who they can talk to.
A communication gap can be a real deal breaker. So, make it a point to look at your relationship from a critical point of view and find what it’s missing.
If you find her indifferent and not open to communication, you might want to put in a little extra effort and try to help her remember why you both fell in love in the first place.
Also, remember that just because she is talking to someone over the internet, does not mean she is cheating on you. She might have a friend she is comfortable with. Hence, be sure before you make a move.
Lastly, never blame yourself for your wife’s actions. If you blame yourself then you will end up feeling depressed.
Life of an Online Affair
Online affairs are nothing more than infatuation unless people meet and get physical. Not everyone in an online affair gets physical but there is a chance.
In most cases, you see someone and you find them very attractive. You either like their pictures, their lifestyle, or their thoughts and you want to talk to them more and more.
This eventually builds up and you start to have an online affair before you know it.
However, since it’s just infatuation, things usually end on their own within a few weeks.
How to Resolve the Issue?
It may be a good idea to talk to your partner and make her realize what she’s doing is wrong.
If you talk to your wife about the whole situation, confront her and tell her how you feel, there is a huge chance that she will be willing to cut the affair off. Women usually want attention, love, and care which might have been lacking in your relationship.
Related reading: How To Trust My Wife After She Cheated
However, if talking does not solve the issue then it might be a good idea to turn to a marriage therapist. Remember that an online affair is a major sign of a relationship that is going downhill.
Merely asking your wife to stop having an online affair will not be enough to make things right. You will at the same time have to make your relationship work again.
If you two decide to continue your marriage then make sure to put this in the past and never mention it again.
