It's Been a Minute The unbearable fear of being cheated on
Mar 18, 2026
Shannon Keating, a culture journalist who covers dating and online communities, and Kathryn Jezer-Morton, a writer on relationships and therapy culture, dig into why fear of infidelity looms so large. They discuss surveillance tech, shifting definitions of cheating, emotional cheating, and how hypervigilance and public shaming reshape modern romance.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Cheating Fits New Contractual View Of Love
- Definitions of cheating are tied to changing cultural ideas of love and romance.
- Kathryn Jezer-Morton explains therapy culture reframes relationships as expectations and behaviors, turning cheating into a breach of contract rather than a loss of feeling.
Public Views Expand What Counts As Cheating
- Public opinion on what counts as cheating is broad and varied across behaviors.
- Brittany Luse cites YouGov data showing many Americans view flirting, holding hands, or intense emotional bonds as cheating.
Red Flag Culture Reduces Nuance In Dating
- Red flag culture simplifies messy human relationships into rigid checklists.
- Shannon Keating warns that online 'red flag' judgments encourage expecting the worst and treating relationships as one-size-fits-all.