What is emotional infidelity?

The only problem? You're already in a relationship -- and it may instead be the start of an emotional affair. What's that, you ask? Below, relationship experts offer an explainer on emotional infidelity: what it is, what it isn't and what to do if you have a sneaking suspension you're having an emotional affair. read more

An emotional affair is essentially an affair of the heart, said Sheri Meyers, a marriage therapist and the author of Chatting or Cheating: How to Detect Infidelity, Rebuild Love and Affair-Proof Your Relationship. read more

It's an emotional connection with someone of the opposite sex that you keep a secret from your spouse, says Peggy Vaughan, author of The Monogamy Myth: A Personal Handbook for Recovering from Affairs. read more

For some spouses -- more often women, Saltz says -- learning of an emotional affair can be worse than discovering sexual infidelity. “Everybody understands a sexual act need not necessarily contain affection or intimacy. It could be literally about a sexual act. read more