The question is not about whether a husband can have a female friend or a wife can have a male friend. The better question is, should they? How close should they be as friends?

Let’s examine the research and see what it says. If you are reading this because you think you have touched the line between friends and fling, or that your spouse is developing emotions for someone else, then be sure you stick around until the end. I will give you access to a free guide to understanding affairs.

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What Is Emotional Cheating?
Emotional cheating is when you look to someone other than your spouse to fulfill you in areas that only your spouse should satisfy. In other words, emotional affairs occur when a person needs the other person in their life to provide them with something that their spouse should be giving them. How does this apply to opposite-sex friendships?

Interestingly, research indicates that men rely more on their wives for emotional support and well-being. According to research, women are more likely to have a support system outside of their marriage. In contrast, men are most likely to turn only to their wives in times of hardship for that emotional need. I think that begs the question for all of us to consider.

Am I a good friend to my spouse? Am I giving them the physical and emotional support they need so they will not feel the need to look elsewhere? Take a moment to reflect on that.

On top of that, women are more likely to go to other women about emotional issues, whereas men are less likely to talk to their male friends about the same problem. They tend to seek the guidance and friendship of women.

So what does all of this mean? One can surmise from the research the following for both genders, but especially men. If someone does not receive the physical and emotional support they need from their spouse, the temptation is to turn to someone else, especially a man seeking a woman to be a friend for them.

It starts with finding a friend at work and connecting on shared interests. When sharing those facts turns into sharing feelings, you’re on a slippery slope to entering into an affair. It happens to women too. While women may have more protective measures because they have more female friends to turn to, there is still equal temptation and susceptibility to emotional affairs when friendship turns into emotional support lacking from a husband.

Despite that, research is also clear that both husbands and wives need friends outside of the marriage. Those friendships can lead to a happier and healthier life and marriage. So what are we to do?

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