When does micro-cheating become ‘actual’ cheating?

quote:

---

Enter micro-cheating: the latest buzzword in the realm of infidelity. As the name suggests, it's all about little things you might think aren’t that naughty, but can be. And therein lies the dilemma – if it can include subtle actions, how do we define micro-cheating? And can there really be such a thing as 'cheating but only a bit'?

---

quote:

---

Dr Graff defines micro-cheating as any act or behaviour by someone in a relationship which might suggest to a third party that they are emotionally or physically available. Before smartphones, micro-cheating might have been the sneaky removal of a wedding ring before a night out, but in the digital age it's easier than ever to signal to someone that you’re available - anything from 'deep liking' (when you go way back into someone's Instagram feed to like very old posts) to sending sly direct messages.

---

quote:

---

However, as Dr Graff points out, while micro-cheating may not be actually cheating on your partner, it is behaviour that could spark infidelity. Think of it as a warm up. “The fact that we communicate more and more online as opposed to face to face means that relationships are more ambiguous than ever,” he says.

In this murky world of micro-cheating, is there ever a watertight way of knowing whether you’re being micro-cheated on or, indeed, guilty of it yourself? We ran five potential micro-cheating scenarios by Dr Graff, Nichi, and relationship expert Leila Collins.

---