Is flirting cheating? If you’re in a relationship and either you or your partner flirt with someone else, it can be a tricky situation. On the one hand, it’s not like anyone did anything physical to be construed as ‘capital-C cheating’, but on the other hand, it’s not nothing, either. Depending on your relationship, you and your partner’s boundaries, and other factors, flirting can still potentially cause a lot of pain and hurt. Depending on who you ask, you might get different answers about whether flirting while in a relationship counts as infidelity or not. Because it’s not just a black-and-white ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and people do have varying feelings about it, we asked 10 experts to give their take on whether or not flirting counts as cheating.
1. IT DEPENDS ON THE INTENTION...
“Someone might simply be a very outgoing person and friendly with others but have no desire to lead someone on outside of their relationship. Yet, someone else might be trying to see how far they can go to get someone else’s attention, how much they can get away with, or what level of connection they can get with someone else. It’s a question of the intentions and integrity of the person. If one doesn’t mean to be flirting and is merely friendly, but it still bothers their significant other, their significant other can share how they feel and both can work to address what a solution might look like that they can both agree to.” —US-based Michelle Croyle, MA, Licensed Professional Counsellor (LPC)
2. IT’S NOT TECHNICALLY CHEATING, BUT IT COULD BE VERY HURTFUL TO YOUR PARTNER...
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Cosmopolitan India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 2020 edition of Cosmopolitan India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Do Women Make Better Leaders Than Men?
Psychologists, women entrepreneurs, their male counterparts, and a human resources expert weigh in.
Living the dream
From planning their start-up and building the right team to successfully marketing their brand, these entrepreneurs will teach you a thing or two about taking care of a business.
The new masculine
Gender is a construct; but one that invariably factors into attraction. In a 2024 world where the scope of gender is more multifarious than ever, what does it mean to be 'masculine'?
How to make the most of the Meta-Universe...and thrive unscathed in it
Natasha Jog-Head, Public Policy, Instagram, Facebook India (Meta)-lists the company's safety measures, and tells us how to make our favourite apps work in our favour.
I was sober, now I'm not.I feel...weird about it?
After more than a year of being teetotal, Jennifer Savin found herself with a glass of red. Her emotions have been *complex*
VEDANG RAINA WIRED TO WIN
Actor Vedang Raina opens up to Cosmo India Editor Pratishtha Dobhal about his love for music and cinema, his passion for the arts, and why he chooses to live in the moment.
What's dating like in 2024?
Here's some swipe right moments that caught Cosmo intern Serchen Chokyi off guard.
Pixels to pearls
Is 3D printing the next big thing in the jewellery landscape?
One jacket, four ways
Cosmo India challenged top-tier celebrity stylists to turn muse for us as they showcased their unmatched personal style with one common designer ensemble. Class in session, people!
ATTN: the couturier now bets on beauty
With this Estée Lauder collaboration, Sabyasachi's tiger motif finds a place on gilded lipstick cases...reiterating that the designer is unstoppable.