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Infidelity isn't always defined entirely by physical behavior.
Research on jealousy has repeatedly examined people's reactions to emotional versus sexual infidelity.
Women, on average, have sometimes reported particularly strong distress toward scenarios involving a partner becoming emotionally attached to another person.
However, individual differences are substantial, and women can obviously be deeply distressed by sexual infidelity as well.
This helps explain why “nothing physical happened” doesn't necessarily make a secret relationship feel harmless.
For some women, discovering that their partner gave someone else the emotional intimacy that belonged to their relationship can itself feel like betrayal.
© Archives of Sexual Behavior