A relationship expert has revealed what you should be looking out for if you suspect your partner is cheating on you.
America is reportedly top of the list when it comes to countries that cheat the most, with a whopping 71 percent of people surveyed admitting to being unfaithful, PR Newswire shared last year.
People may stray from their partner for an array of different reasons. According to one 2017 study, men who admitted to cheating did so because 'the other person was really attractive' or because they were being hit on.
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Meanwhile it's been suggested that women's reasons for cheating range from emotional neglect, a grapple for power, and not being sexually satisfied.
If you suspect your significant other is being unfaithful, relationship expert Tracy Cox wrote for Mail Online that there are eight red flags to look out for.
They take their phone everywhere
If your partner is glued to their phone and insists on taking it everywhere with them, Cox says that is the number one cheating giveaway.
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"Cheaters keep it with them, always," she wrote.
"Even in the bathroom when they're having a shower. They'll swiftly swipe up if they see you looking over their shoulder or left to delete something."
They insist on more privacy
Cox says if your partner is all of a sudden wanting more privacy, then this could be a red flag.
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Examples include locking themselves in the bathroom if previously they were happy to keep the door open, or if they all of a sudden get 'twitchy' if you sit near them while they're supposed to be working online.
They may also share less with you about their day.
A key thing to be wary of is if your partner previously spoke about a 'friend' at work they had all the time then suddenly stops mentioning them at all. Cox says this 'usually means the relationship has moved from an emotional to a physical affair'.
Their stories don't add up
If you find your significant other's stories about their whereabouts don't add up or that they keep changing, it could be a sign they're having an affair.
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The longer the affair has been going on, the more likely they are to trip up.
"The longer the affair, the higher the chance you'll see inconsistencies in their stories â especially if they know they're being cornered," says Cox.
"Research shows our memories are less reliable under stress."
Having more interest in their appearance
If your partner all of a sudden starts hitting the gym five times a week or starts dressing dramatically nicer than before, it could be a sign they're trying to impress someone â and there's a chance it's not you.
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Cox says that 'major lifestyle changes' like these are strong indicators of an affair.
They send the wrong message to the wrong person
Such messages are usually X-rated, and if it's extremely out the blue, the text is likely not supposed to have been sent to you but a lover instead...
Cox used an example of a friend of hers who accidentally sent a text that was meant to go to her lover, to her husband instead.
It read: "You're going to be inside me in under one hour."
Their location tracker shows them where they really are
If your partner said they're meeting a friend at a bar in Manhattan only for Find My Friends to reveal them at an address all the way over on Staten Island, then there's definitely something fishy going on.
Most couples agree to have location-sharing apps like Find My Friends on for their partner to see where they are and later forget they can track them.
According to Cox, 34 percent of people who caught their partner cheating discovered it through digital means like location-sharing apps.
They've told other people what they're doing
If your partner is cheating, there's a good chance they've told at least one other person about their sexual escapades.
But this can lead to a trail of people who know if that first person ends up blabbing to another â typically their own partner.
They're less affectionate
Labeled as 'another classic indicator' by Cox, if your partner becomes more emotionally distant from you, it's probably because their mind is elsewhere (and on someone else).
She penned: "The reason why people withdraw is obvious â guilt makes it difficult to meet the eye of someone you are betraying. Or, if your emotional energy is invested elsewhere, your partner might now seem sadly lacking and not worthy of your love."
Topics:Â Sex and Relationships, News
Niamh Shackleton