Affair Detector: The Latest Cheating Spouse Study

Affair Detector: The Latest Cheating Spouse Study

Be careful of what you are looking for.

That is advice well heeded following research by Melbourne's Swinburne University which has found that many cyber daters may also be cyber cheaters.

In fact, there are growing numbers of people who are leaving their partners and children in pursuit of relationships that were spawned in internet dating sites or chat rooms.

People looking for love online are almost as likely to be living with a partner (41%) as they are to be single (46%) The statistics are alarming, and the consequences of this have wider implications for the legitimacy of internet chat rooms, people surfing the net, and relationships where partners surf the internet on a regular basis.

Affair Detector: The Latest Cheating Spouse Study

While cases of internet infidelity may have raised eyebrows a decade ago, private investigators and divorce lawyers recognize it as an all too common trend, and attribute it to the explosive growth in internet usage, and the consequently increased access to a wider variety of people. The anonymity an online profile offers is also an alluring factor for many people who want to hide evidence from unsuspecting partners.

Unlike one-night stands, people are more likely to cultivate relationships with their online mistresses or buddies for several months. It was relatively rare for online romances to remain in cyberspace without meeting face to face. Many people begin chatting in internet chat rooms or dating sites, go on to exchanging phone numbers and start texting and calling, and many go on to meet the person if they are not stopped or caught in-between.

For many couples, internet infidelity has started as a result of a difficult period in an existing relationship and the internet has become an outlet for their dissatisfaction and relationships have developed from this need to communicate or process repressed feelings.

Given the statistics following Swinburne University's survey of 1000 people by telephone interview, it forces those of us out there who are in relationships to look at internet chat rooms and surfing the web in a new light. While the internet has heralded many positive changes for people who use it, it also has a growing dark potential in ending relationships.

It's something to be aware of.

Affair Detector: The Latest Cheating Spouse Study