The language of infidelity is the language a person uses when they are being unfaithful. Getting to understand your partner’s love language is a great tool to have a connected relationship. But if your relationship is trying to heal from infidelity, or if you suspect your partner is cheating on you, mastering your partner’s language of infidelity will be even more important.

Cheating appears to be as rampant as ever — perhaps even more so during the pandemic, when folks are locked into less-than-ideal situations and the stakes of breaking up seem so much higher. The pandemic is squeezing some couples into a box: stay together and be miserable — or stay together and step out on the sly, cheating on your partner and using a whole language of infidelity with someone else.

Cheating during the pandemic and its language of infidelity

language of infidelity

An increase in infidelity rate

It is no surprise that the increased stress brought on by the pandemic may be putting couples at an increased risk for experiencing infidelity. Data collected during the pandemic have shown that people are engaging in behaviors that are associated with a high likelihood of experiencing infidelity everywhere.

The negative consequences of infidelity are also likely to be exacerbated for couples during the pandemic due to the intersection with the social, emotional, and financial consequences of COVID-19. Moreover, couples are likely to experience disruptions and delays to the affair recovery process during the pandemic, which can negatively impact their ability to heal from suffering.

Smart people who are unhappy in their relationships are breaking up, but scared people are still staying with their partners, which is probably why they’re seeking something elsewhere. They’re scared to be alone since being alone now means being really alone.

Infidelity on the internet

Many people who are being unfaithful to their partners during the pandemic are using internet to seek for an adventure. The use of internet in these harsh times can be considered as a real language of infidelity, so if you suspect your partner is cheating on you, you may want to look out for some signs.

There are those who use the digital world to flirt with infidelity — subscribing to OnlyFans, sliding into an ex’s DMs or following porn stars on Instagram, to name a few examples. Without the partner’s consent, sexting with strangers is indeed cheating, experts say. Pandemic or not, if your partner says that they are just chatting with someone in LA and that it won’t affect your relationship is just wrong. It’s something shady they’re doing on the side.

The body language of infidelity

If you’ve ever had to ask yourself whether your partner is being unfaithful, chances are something is up. And, according to Patti Wood, body language relationship expert, having that “feeling,” about your significant other shouldn’t be ignored. You may not have the words to describe what isn’t right, but you’re actually picking up on thousands of non-verbal cues which can be very telling of a situation.

Knowing the body language of infidelity can give you a hand in understading if your partner is cheating or not. Body language of infidelity is visible when a generally normal person fears they’ll be discovered or feels guilty they’re doing something wrong.

They avoid display of affection

If your partner suddenly is pushing you away, something might be up. What you’re generally looking for is a shift from normal behavior. So, if they used to kiss you all the time and suddenly that behavior disappears it’s a shift from the normal and it’s a red flag. When your partner is having an affair and hiding it from you, the guilt they feel doesn’t remain within the walls of their mind alone. It manifests in their physical actions as well. They may begin touching you less and less, smiling less, refusing to have sex, and crossing their arms more frequently when they are around you.

They avoid eye contact

When you look at your partner and you notice that they look away, it could be another sign of the secret language of infidelity. Apart from avoiding eye contact with you, you might also see that their eye pattern has also changed when you bring up a difficult subject or even mention something about an affair. When people lie they’re in cognitive overload and they’ll start to do different things with their eyes because they’re actually doing something different in their brain with making up the answer or hiding an answer that’s true.

They avoid showing you their phone

If you notice that your once open partner is now super attached to their phone, or extremely on top of their cell phone’s whereabouts, there is probably something on their phone they don’t want you to see.

Look at their feet

If you’re growing increasingly suspicious of your partner’s infidelity, you can try looking at your partner’s feet when you’re out with a group of friends. Where the toes point, the heart follows. If your partner’s feet are pointed at you, great. If they’re pointed at someone else, your partner may be spending more time pointing at someone else.