Emotional VS Physical Affair?

Question

Recently, I was involved in a discussion about emotional vs physical cheating.

Is there a difference between sexes: do women find emotional affairs more hurtful, while men on the other hand find physical affairs more hurtful? Or is there no difference?

I’ll quickly explain what I mean by both:
Physical affair – there is no emotions involved, your partner cheats on you physically, there is no feelings involved, only physical contact.
Emotional affair – your partner never has a physical relationship with someone else, but they are very emotionally intimate with somebody else, they fall in “love” with this person, and have been very intimate verbally.

What would you all consider worse? … Would you rather that your significant other had a physical affair or an emotional one (and state your sex)!

Answer 1

men are not going to consider an emotional connection to a woman other than their partner as adultry. We are simple, sexual creatures. because emotional connections mean so much more to women, a woman who connects with another man will definately feel as though she is being unfaithful. Men are not going to seek something like this out, if he is involved with someone for whom he is not emotionally available and discovers his own deeper self through a connection with another woman, he will not see this is anywhere near adultry, but may very well gravitate toward the other woman, so look out.

Answer 2

Lily M,

I find that it all depends on how a women represents herself with a man, if a women is coming off like she is easy although she may have great intellect he is not going to treat her like she has any since at all. Therefore he will be emotionally disconnected from her, and only physically attracted regardless what he says. (However it go's both ways).

There are times when a man will be physically attracted to a woman personality, which will cause them to become emotionally involve with that person, and personally I think that hurt alot more, because it is another form of rejection.

Man do sometime look at physical affairs as being more hurtful because they have landed them self in a situation where they are emotional attached to this lady who was only out for a good time, I find that those of the kind the men fall for much faster. (However it go's both ways).

I would rather not have to consider either because emotional and physical affair hurts and cuts like a knife. It is now time to step-a-side and evaluate your situation plus make a decision is it worth all the emotional hurt, maybe give each other some alone time.

Answer 3

Personally I would consider these 2 types of affairs equally hurtful since they both ruin the trust and respect that are essential elements in a relationship.

But for the sake of discussion....i think i would be able to handle a partner's physical affair better over the emotional affair since the physical affair is something that is temporary and superficial as compared to an emotional affair where the object of a partner's love and affection is towards somebody else.

I'm a female.

Answer 4

I am a 40 y/o, hispanic man. I've been cheated on physically and emotionally. Both hurt equally bad. The first time was with a girl who kept up an emotional relationship with a guy she had known for years before she met me and I "swept" her off her feet. She just didn't know how to let go of him. I forgave her but it ate at me until I just couldn't stand her anymore. She had become bitter and driven by greed after that because I couldn't give her the material things she craved. So I left her for a younger, sexier girl. I didn't realize that the younger girl was just going to be a leech to me. She was driven by sex. With anyone. She hid it from me for several months until I received a letter from one her male "friends". Turns out she was pregnant, so I stayed with her throughout the pregnancy. When the baby was born, I tried to man up and be the father. But, I was torn between being betrayed for a second time and her still cheating on me...I left. So truthfully, both hurt. You can debate it all you want, until you walk the line you can't possibly begin to understand what it is you are debating. So ask yourself this. If it is 5:59 a.m. and If a train A is leaving the station at 8 a.m. and it is 20 miles from you, and train B is leaving the station at 6 a.m. and it is at your front door, but you have no legs because train B ran over them, what do you pack and which train do you take?

Answer 5

I think the physical affair affects men more, while BOTH types affect women. If a man cheats on me, whether it's physical or emotional, it will hurt. But if I were to cheat on a man, I believe he sees it as me going to someone else for something he can't fulfill physically.

Answer 6

Either types of affair is not acceptable.

But if I have to choose between physical or emotional affair. I have to emotional affair. Because I think I gonna be crazy & cannot imagine if I ever find out that some guy get on top of my girl & pump his hard-rock stick & release his juice into her. And her lying there on bed moaning in pleasure.

Please, answer one of my questions.

Answer 7

Physical affair means no love. So, you'd just have sex without no strong intimate emotion for this person. The worst is emotional affair, because love comes with strong emotion, and when love is lost, depression is next to occur. Physical affair: You like this person physically, he's/she's very attractive but you don't love him. Even if you get with him and he/she cheats, it wouldn't affact you one bit, because there's no emotion to stimulate heartaches and depression.

Answer 8

in high school, no one used the term "cheating" until they were goin at it.

One is rather easy to define (you are, or you aren't), and the other is a bit shadier (since feelings are sometimes awkward).

The greater of two evils? emotional. If it had to be one, I'd rather it be the physical than the one that destroys the years I've put into hoping the one I've been with will be with me always.

as in, stronger value on commitment than physical attraction.

(male)

Answer 9

Female. Neither is ideal, but the worst would probably be my man having an emotional affair. I might get past his desire to do someone else, but how do you get past him falling in love with someone else.

Answer 10

I think that an emotional affair would feel worse because his feelings aren't for you and only you anymore. They are for another person weather or not he still has feelings for you.

I am a female