As if being ‘left on read’ and ‘dick-dashing’ weren’t tormenting enough for modern daters in search of love, but there’s now another trend that stands in the way of our Happy Ever After. And y’all thought Prince Phillip had trouble getting past a fire-breathing Maleficent.

First of all, WTF is micro-cheating?

Well, Australian psychologist and consultant Melanie Schilling recently defined micro-cheating as “a series of seemingly small actions that indicate a person is emotionally or physically focused on someone outside their relationship.”

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There’s also the Urban Dictionary definition: “when someone cheats on a partner, but just a little bit.”

And no, that doesn’t mean when he just puts the tip in.

The premise of micro-cheating is less about your man busting a nut in Ashley from Tinder, and more about his secrecy, deception and lack of committment to you. Examples include:

  • Flirty exchanges with thirsty Insta-thots
  • Stalking one person’s specific socials
  • Lying about their relationship status
  • Contacting their ex
  • Sharing secrets with someone their attracted to (that isn’t you, duh)
  • Prolonged eye-contact with subway sluts

But is this really a betrayal or have we all just become oversensitive, paranoid basket cases? Well it depends on each person, and the guy they’re dating. If you’re a psycho bitch and your man is a notorious player, then there’s a good chance you’ll have a verbal boxing match at Pizza Express.

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Many justify this as harmless flirting/attention-seeking, while others will see these as red flags. So it’s probably a good idea to outline what is acceptable forms of behaviour, before outlining his silhouette on the rug after you’ve battered the shit out of him.

Micro-cheating still betrays the partner’s trust – and if you can’t trust a man, how you gonna marry him?