Scientist reveals signs your partner is cheating

By Ben Barry via SWNS

A scientist has revealed signs your partner is cheating - including being protective over their phone and becoming newly concerned about their appearance.

Macken Murphy, 25, studied for a Master of Science degree in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology at Oxford University and wrote about why people cheat.

As part of his studies, Macken delved into the reasons why people cheat and read how it's often due to a desire for variety and connection.

Macken suggests new vanity, tech secrets and not wanting to talk about a specific person are all indicators your other half could be being unfaithful.

Macken, from Oxford, UK, said: "When men commit infidelity they do so out of a desire for romantic variety.

"They want more partners for the sake of having more partners.

"This desire comes from evolutionary benefits in our ancestry."

"There are some interesting differences between men and women's infidelity.

"Women are often sexually motivated but they are also emotionally motivated.

"Women are much more likely to be in love with their affair partner compared to men.

"There is much more likely to be emotional disengagement from their partner during an affair.

"It is upsetting, but many men who are completely happy with their wives still make the unfortunate decision to commit infidelity - that is one difference we see.

"Yes, men are more motivated to cheat for variety, and women do tend to be more emotionally involved in affair partners.

"These differences between men and women are on average differences, not 100 percent of the time differences. Many men cheat for emotional reasons and many women cheat for sexual variety."

Macken said one sign your partner could be cheating on you is if they are protective over their phone and unwilling to show you.

He said: "If your partner is never leaving their phone out and never plugging their phone into your car play.

"They're doing that thing where they turn the phone face down so you can't see the notifications.

"If you are seeing all those sorts of signs, take it as a clue that they might be hiding something.

"I don't think that this means you should be trying to get into your partner's phone - that can be really toxic and, in some cases, abusive to invade your partner's privacy like that."

Macken said another cause for concern could be if your partner has started taking a sudden interest in their fitness and lifestyle.

He said: "This one is more interesting to me - many people know this anecdotally.

"If someone goes through a massive makeover and starts hitting the gym a tonne and starts paying attention to their looks while in a relationship that can be an indicator.

"If this is a sudden change, often that is a sign of infidelity.

"We have research that shows when people are seeking mates, they spend more time on their looks than when they already have a mate.

"If you notice that your partner is suddenly investing in their looks, well, that is one indicator that if it is a new behavior, it might also be for a new person."

If you're at a party or event where your partner doesn't want to go speak to someone or enjoy spending time with someone, this is another indicator they might be cheating.

Macken claims there are many indicators of infidelity but often when being cheated on, people will have a sense of who their partner is cheating on them with.

He said: "Oftentimes when a person is getting cheated on, they have an intuition as to who they are being cheated on with.

"If you have someone in mind, bring them up around your partner and see if they want to change the topic."

Macken wrote his master's dissertation on the evolution drivers of infidelity.

He said: "I am now running a study from it, to complete that research I had to read a large amount on the science behind infidelity.

"I had the privilege of spending a year at Oxford reading up on everything to do with infidelity so I have a bit of a grasp on the topic from that, so I started making TikToks and I thought infidelity is one of the better things I could speak about on that medium."

Warning signs your partner is cheating

- They have a wandering eye
- High body count
- Repeated cheater
- Tech secrets
- New vanity
- Don't want to talk about someone specific
- Family history of infidelity
- They're unhappy
- They're punching