Is Flirting Cheating?

by Peter
Posted On

There are different answers to this question. When you are in a relationship, cheating is a dishonest act towards another person that can gain them an advantage or benefit. Flirting is a behavior made towards another that can signify a sexual desire or want of a deeper relationship. Yes, this can be done for one’s amusement. Still, oftentimes it is done with the intention of partaking in further sexual activities with the person.

Cheating Or Playing

So if you read it as a dishonest action or behavior towards another person that will gain them sexual activity; yes, for those in a relationship, it is cheating. Yet again, it is dependent on how the two people in a relationship feel about it. Weigh the meanings against your beliefs, values, or morals and ask yourself if participating in the act of flirting with another person is hurtful to your partner?

Change The Situation

How would you feel if your boyfriend or girlfriend started flirting with another person? Would you be happy that they were flirting with someone else? Would it kind of grate on your nerves, hurt your feelings and your ego?

Technicalities

Some may say that flirting does not mean anything. They could very well be the type that their words come across as flirting whenever they speak to the opposite sex. They may have meant nothing at all by it, but the person it was said to take it as a flirt. The actual act of flirting being cheating would need to have intent behind the words. If there is no intention of taking the flirting into a further action based state, then one could argue that it was harmless words and the person mistook what they said.

For the words that have intention in the statement, it is definitely an act of dishonesty in your relationship or partnership, even marriage. Remember the line ‘Forsaking all others’? In essence, that is what just happened with flirting.

Excitement

Of course, there are always some couples who find that flirting brings excitement to y=their own relationship or marriage. However, it should be stated that it can help a relationship when done the right way. Not in the way to hurt your spouse or to lead on the other person. That is simply deceptive and harmful.

Trust

Is there a line of trust in your relationship that is not to be crossed? Where on the line does flirting sit? Do you both believe the same way about flirting, that it is just words, and there is no intention of advancing further?

Sexual Thoughts

Those sexual thoughts that you are having as you flirt, well, this is crossing a boundary that should be held sacred in your relationship. It is the same as giving another person the sexual interest and/or attention that you should be giving to your partner only. Marriage is not a three-way street, and anything you do towards another person that may be ‘taken’ as sexual is done in dishonesty.