shades fills you in

What is emotional cheating? Self.com says it’s “nonsexual intimacy with someone who isn’t your partner”

The Internet Changed What Cheating Means -- Nowadays, Intimately Messaging Somebody Who Isn’t Your Partner Counts, Says Brides.com

The Guardian Says Emotional Cheating Might Be Worse Than Physical -- Especially for Women

IDiva.com agrees -- It’s way worse, and really difficult to forgive

Loverecon.com takes a hardline stance -- people in relationships shouldn’t have friends of the opposite sex, those friendships are bound to cause trouble

But blogger Meagan Nolasco strongly disagrees -- our lives get better if we have platonic intimacy. Don’t be afraid to deeply love your friends, it’s not cheating

Mic.com adds that romantic relationships shouldn’t have a monopoly on intimacy. If you love your friends, you should be allowed to show it!

Fashion Magazine says emotional cheating is wrong, but fantasizing about others is okay -- sexual attraction is a biological thing we can’t really control

HuffPost says the bottom line is that we know the difference between a friend and a potential romantic partner -- if you think it’s emotional cheating, it almost certainly is

One TikToker has some advice for people in relationships -- if you have to force your partner to block somebody online, that means they wouldn’t have blocked them on their own. Time to move on!