So you don’t have to give up all hope if you’ve found signs that your spouse is cheating. If both partners are willing to put in the work, the damage of infidelity can be repaired. If your husband or wife has betrayed you, the choice of whether or not to stay in the marriage is entirely up to you. Whatever you’ve decided, we only want to provide guidance and support. That’s why we’ve prepared this helpful list of signs to watch out for that are obvious when a spouse is cheating. This will help you interpret your unfaithful spouse’s behavior in a way that’s useful to you and the healing of your marriage. RELATED: The 3 Types Of Couples Who Experience Affairs (& The Ones Most Likely To Stay Together)
The 15 specific signs your spouse might be cheating:
1. They’ve become distant
They’re closed off or are unwilling to discuss marital issues as they come up.
2. Their guard is up
They become defensive easily, especially in response to questions about what they’ve been doing. RELATED: 15 Telltale Signs He’s Cheating On You, According To Cheaters
3. They’re moody
They vacillate between being irritable with you and doting on you in a way that seems forced, insincere, or excessive.
4. They seem to be hiding something
They seem consistently nervous or secretive and won’t reveal the source of their discomfort openly. RELATED: The 7 Steps (Almost) Every Marriage Experiences Before A Major Affair
5. They’re spending more time with their digital devices
They’re consistently preoccupied with their phone, computer, or other devices — and you know it’s for sneaky reasons.
6. They’re acting suspiciously with their phone
They start closing windows quickly or getting angry if you come near them. Do be careful with this one, however, as some people are simply more private than others and it might be nothing to worry about. RELATED: I Let The Small Stuff Slide And He Divorced Me — The 10 Things I Missed
7. Their search history is always recently deleted
You notice they’ve started deleting their search engine or browser histories for no apparent reason. Don’t go snooping around trying to find this out, but if they’ve already given you a reason to wonder, this could be another sketchy behavior.
8. They keep their weekend or evening plans vague
When they do provide details about their future or past activities, they consistently go overboard by giving an excess of unimportant information. RELATED: 4 Harsh Reasons (Even Good) Men Cheat (According To An Escort)
9. They’re giving too much information
When someone is lying, they often give extra details in order to be more convincing.
10. They’ve become inexplicably vain
They develop a sudden and inexplicable increase of interest in their appearance. RELATED: 4 Big Mistakes I Made As A Wife (Psst! I’m The Ex-Wife Now)
11. Their wardrobe has been upgraded
They start dressing up and wearing cologne or perfume every evening and it’s not something they’d normally do, there might be a reason for suspicion.
12. Their emotions are inconsistent
They suddenly become dreamy, distracted, or giddy for no apparent reason. RELATED: The 4 Behaviors That Cause 90% Of All Divorces
13. They aren’t there for you
They’re suddenly not as present for you as they’ve typically been in the past, especially for activities you always used to share or during difficult moments.
14. They’re acting cocky
One of the things that fuels infidelity is a sense of entitlement. A cheating partner can come to believe that they deserve to have an affair. You can’t expect the cheating to stop if this sense of entitlement doesn’t start to disappear. If your cheating partner lacks an overall sense of humility, it might be a sign they haven’t outgrown this hurtful quality.
15. Things just feel off
Hopefully, you’ve processed your feelings of betrayal enough to make sure that your judgment is sound, but if something consistently seems off or unsatisfying about your cheating spouse’s behavior, then there might be a good reason that is the case. RELATED: 3 Ginormous Lies Married People Need To Stop Believing ASAP Remember that every marriage is different Obviously, you have to be careful with that last one because unfounded accusations can do tremendous damage to the recovery of your marriage, but you have a right to be concerned if these feelings come up with any regularity. Remember that these are simply guidelines, not a set of hard and fast rules that apply in every single case. Don’t be alarmed if one or two of these signs pop up from time to time and don’t go looking for evidence where there isn’t any. If we look for something hard enough, we’re probably going to find it whether it’s actually there or not, so do everyone a favor and stay as objective as possible. Although suspicion and mistrust are perfectly normal reactions to infidelity, don’t drive yourself crazy with obsessive worry or nosiness. Using the signs we’ve listed as possible indicators, just listen to what your cheating partner is saying through their behavior and respond accordingly. RELATED: The Deep Question You Must Answer If You’re Thinking Of Having An Affair The signs of infidelity are there — if you know where to look. You don’t have to give up on your marriage if your partner has been unfaithful. But you do have to be careful. Without becoming domineering or forever mistrustful, you have to pay attention to the signals that your cheating partner is sending and communicating to you. People reveal who they are through their actions, but only as long as we’re listening to what they have to say. It’s perfectly natural to be vigilant about your partner’s behavior after experiencing the pain of infidelity. It’s also a smart thing to do. As long you can maintain a certain amount of vigilance without being hurtful or obsessive, paying attention to the signs your partner sends will be beneficial. RELATED: 5 Early Signs A Man Is Going To Cheat On You (Even If He Hasn’t Yet) C. Mellie Smith is a relationship & infidelity expert and former betrayed spouse. She writes about healing from affairs and helps couples overcome cheating with tools and resources.
