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2019 Cheating Trends

As 2019 wound down and the world prepared for 2020, many reflected on the year past. One aspect of the year we reflect on are the cheating trends that emerged and wonder whether these behaviours will continue on in 2020.

What cheating trends became apparent in 2019?

For one, reports of micro-cheating became very common when polling individuals (both male and female) who had cheated or had been cheated on. Micro-cheating consists of seemingly small and insignificant actions that are often considered to be a form of cheating. They are small opportunities for affectionate behaviours that exist outside of your committed relationship. Examples of these actions include commenting on other people’s social media posts (someone you find attractive) to attract their attention, dressing up when you know you will see the particular person, withholding information about this person from your significant other, deleting “harmless” texts from this person to avoid your partner seeing them, etc. A good rule of thumb to avoid micro-cheating is to ask yourself, “would my significant other be upset or uncomfortable if they saw what I was doing right now?”

A second trend that emerged in 2019 was the act of “pocketing”, which involves not introducing the person you are dating to your friends or family and avoiding acknowledging your relationship on social media platforms. While pocketing has existed for a long time, the evolution of technology and the importance placed on online presence exacerbates this problem, particularly when many individuals display their lives openly to their friends and family on these platforms. The act of pocketing when it comes to hiding your partner from your social media has become increasingly more common and reportedly co-exists with relationships in which the person hiding their significant other is either cheating on them or is cheating on another partner with them.

Another cheating trend that has been exacerbated by social media is “cookie jarring”, which is eyeing another person besides your partner. Just as people “eye” a cookie jar in a coffee shop without buying it, many people in 2019 used social media platforms to “eye” other individuals who are outside of their relationship. This can be a dangerous indicator that you are not as committed to your relationship as you, your partner, or the world might think.

Did you notice any of these behaviours in your partner in 2019? Did you yourself engage in any of these trends? Here’s to a happy and faithful 2020 (and if you’re worried, contact a private investigator).