How to Tell if a Woman is Cheating

9 Ways to Tell if Your Wife or Girlfriend is Cheating on You

In a relationship, there's nothing worse than that sinking feeling that your partner is cheating on you. All relationships have low spots in them, where people get a little too comfortable with one another or the fire has abated somewhat. This doesn't necessarily mean someone is going to stray. But it does mean you should know some of the warning signs of a cheating woman.

Below is a list of nine behaviors common to women who are cheating.

So where is the line between being smart and being paranoid? I wouldn't get paranoid if one of these pops up in your marriage. If several of them begin to happen all at once, then I would start to get concerned.

1. A New Wardrobe.

If your wife or girlfriend starts to dress differently, this is a sign she's dressing for another man. Of course, women like new clothes. So don't get crazy if she continues her normal shopping patterns. But if you notice she's bought a whole bunch of new lingerie, you could have a problem.

2. A New Exercise Regimen

This one is closely connected to the wardrobe issue. She wants to look nice for someone. And since she hasn't exactly been trying to impress you lately, it might be someone else.

If your woman starts a new exercise plan, or becomes more dedicated to the old routine, then she may have hidden motivations for doing so. Of course, if spring has just hit and she's trying to take off those extra ten pounds, that's an entirely different matter. But a new exercise program in the middle of a season could be trouble, especially if it coincides with sexy new clothes and undies.

3. Secret Phone Calls

If you see your wife trying to avoid being overheard on the phone, this is a sign she doesn't want you to know something. Now, when I talk on the phone, I don't like being in a room with someone else. For one thing, it seems rude for me to be talking over whatever they are doing. Second, I get distracted trying to have two discussions at once.

But if your wife has been happy for years to talk away while you watch t.v., but suddenly decides you need peace and quite, this is a sign that she doesn't want you to hear what she's talking about.

4. Hidden Bills

If your wife is hiding her credit card bills, this is a bad sign. Okay, this might just mean she's been charging up the credit card and doesn't want you to know about the debt she's running up.

It could also mean that she doesn't want you to know about the hotel rental bills and the trips to Victoria's Secret. An elicit love affair is going to call for a few odd expenditures, the kind of thing a wife with a guilty conscience doesn't want her husband seeing.

5. Is Aloof and Uncommunicative

If she suddenly seems aloof, then she might have other things on her mind. Relationships are built around good communication. More than men, women need a partner who talks to them. So if the two of you aren't talking, that's a problem even in a faithful relationship.

Your wife may have complained about you communicating with her in the past. If she suddenly seems to lose interest in talk, this means she's given up on you. It could also mean she has found someone with whom to talk.

6. Seems Preoccupied

If your significant other doesn't seem interested in you and the children, she might have her mind on her new relationship outside of the family. She might be marking time until she can escape to her love affair. So if all your wife or girlfriend wants to do is watch television, this might be a sign she's passing the hours until her next escape.

7. Stays Away From Home More Often

If your woman stays at work or school late, that's a bad sign. Business trips and sudden changes of plan are suspicious, too. She needs time to have an affair, and unless your schedule is unusually open, this is going to show up somewhere.

8. Mood Swings

Feelings of guilt will show up in strange ways. She might suddenly be much more affectionate than she has been, so much so that it seems artificial. This is her trying to cope with guilt feelings.

At other times, if she appears to be picking fights with you, this is another way of coping with guilt. She needs justification for cheating, so she will pick fights that allow her to look at you as the bad guy.

If both of these appear at once, then these mood swings are a good indication that something is going on.

9. Stories About Their Guy Friend

Have you ever had your wife talk constantly about some guy friend of hers at work or school? If you're in a healthy relationship, it probably doesn't mean anything. But if the two of your haven't been communicating well lately, this other man is probably filling a need for her. That might turn into an extramarital affair.

Now, if suddenly your woman stops talking about this same man, you need to find out why. This might indicate a falling out with this guy. If not, it might indicate her friendship has turned into something else. This sudden lack of disclosure could mean a guilty conscience, or a fear you or someone else will be able to guess what's really going. She doesn't want that guy's name brought up in the conversation.