It seems that betrayal really is in the eye of the beholder.
A recent HuffPost/YouGov survey of 1,000 U.S. adults found that people's definition of emotional infidelity depends on who's doing the cheating.
Sixty percent of respondents said that if their partner developed a deep emotional connection with someone else, it would be considered cheating. Only 18 percent said that it wouldn't be considered cheating.
However, when a separate group of 1,000 adults was asked the reverse -- "Say that you were in a committed relationship and you developed a deep emotional connection with someone other than your partner. Would you consider that to be cheating?" -- the number who said "no" increased to 29 percent of respondents. Fifty percent said "yes," and 21 percent were not sure.
Much of that change came among women, 70 percent of whom said developing a deep emotional connection would be cheating if their partner did it, but only 56 percent of whom thought it would be if they did it themselves. Men were more consistent -- 50 percent said developing a deep emotional connection would be cheating if their partner did it and 44 percent said it would be if they did it themselves.
Want to know what other behaviors people consider cheating? Click through the slideshow to find out, then take the YouGov poll below to see how you stack up against our national sample.
What Constitutes Infidelity?
(01 of08)
Open Image Modal(02 of08)
Open Image ModalYounger people were more likely to consider it cheating if their partner kissed someone else on the lips than older people. Seventy-four percent of 18-29 year-olds polled would consider it cheating if their partner kissed someone else on the lips, as compared to 53 percent of those ages 30-44, 38 percent of 45-64 year-olds and 30 percent of those 65+. (credit:Shutterstock)
(03 of08)
Open Image ModalWomen were more likely than men to perceive it to be cheating if their partner sent a sexy text message or photo to someone else: 85 percent of women polled would consider it cheating, versus 74 percent of men. (credit:Shutterstock)
(04 of08)
Open Image ModalThere was a big discrepancy among men and women regarding forming a deep emotional connection with someone else: 70 percent of women said they would consider it cheating, compared to 50 percent of men. (credit:Shutterstock)
(05 of08)
Open Image ModalAge was also a factor in whether or not respondents said that forming a deep emotional connection with someone other than their partner constituted infidelity. While 69 percent of people ages 65+ would consider that cheating, only 52 percent of people ages 18-29 said the same. (credit:Shutterstock)
(06 of08)
Open Image ModalDemocrats and Republicans don't see eye to eye on strip clubs. Thirty-five percent of Republicans said that they would consider it cheating if their partner went to a strip club, compared to 19 percent of Democrats. (Sixty-eight percent of Democrats said they wouldn't consider it cheating, compared to 51 percent of Republicans). (credit:Shutterstock)
(07 of08)
Open Image ModalIf a partner were to reconnect with an ex on Facebook, 26 percent of women would consider it cheating (42 percent would not) compared to 21 percent of males (56 percent would not). (credit:Alamy)
(08 of08)
Open Image ModalRepublicans and Democrats also differed on the implications of reconnecting with an old flame on Facebook; 29 percent of Republicans said that they would consider it cheating (44 percent would not), versus 19 percent of Democrats (51 percent would not). (credit:Shutterstock)
The HuffPost/YouGov poll was conducted March 8-10 among 2,000 U.S. adults, 1,000 of whom were randomly assigned to answer each of the two sets of questions. The poll used a sample selected from YouGov's opt-in online panel to match the demographics and other characteristics of the adult U.S. population. Factors considered include age, race, gender, education, employment, income, marital status, number of children, voter registration, time and location of Internet access, interest in politics, religion and church attendance.
The Huffington Post has teamed up with YouGov to conduct daily opinion polls. You can learn more about this project and take part in YouGov's nationally representative opinion polling.
Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Divorce on Facebook and Twitter.
Support HuffPost
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.