Most people have unfortunately been plagued by that awful feeling that is only felt when someone you care about lets you down in a way that only they can. Most have felt the wave of sickness wash over them and a sharp pain in their chest when they hear the news that the person they have dedicated their time, loyalty and love to has in fact been dedicating their time and love to someone else. You don’t want to believe it’s true and may still hold out hope that the damage can somehow be fixed but, like glass, once trust is broken no matter how carefully you repair it the cracks will still be visible.

When two people fall in love it’s supposed to be magical, birds singing, rainbows in the sky kind of magical. And love can bring us life-changing joy and happiness, but by letting someone into your life you are also leaving yourself vulnerable to the kind of heartbreak and misery that is difficult to put into words. But if cheating is such a bad thing then why do so many people do it? It is often the case that men take a lot of responsibility for cheating but women are equally as guilty of this.

Here are the 15 reasons that women really cheat.

15. She’s Just bored of You…Sorry

Let’s be honest here, no matter how much you want it to, the honeymoon phase won’t last forever. And once it’s gone and the excitement of a new relationship has died down your relationship and commitment is then really put to the test. Particularly in long-term relationships, it might be that she is just bored of being with the same person and wants to try being with someone new. The excitement of spending time with you has worn off, and now you’re just a normal part of her life so she has decided to turn her attention elsewhere. Instead of focusing on improving her current relationship situation she has instead decided that the easier option is to find someone else to fix her boredom.

14. Because it’s easy to cheat

Surely it has never been easier to find someone new to cheat with? Dating app upon dating app continuously fill our social media and app stores. Celebrity Instagram accounts promote dating apps like Bumble and Tinder and the fact you can create a profile in a matter of seconds means finding someone new to spend time with has never been so simple. No hanging around bars or nightclubs necessary, you can now find someone new at the touch of a button without even leaving your house. There are even dating websites specifically for people looking to cheat, encouraging the taboo behaviour even more. We all know someone who’s received a screenshot of their girlfriend’s Tinder profile sent to them by one of their single friends.

13. She wants revenge

How many times have you heard someone say that they cheated on their partner because they cheated on them first? ‘Now we’re even’ is what they are thinking but realistically you now have two people with broken hearts instead of one. Sometimes when people aren’t ready to let go of a relationship that is failing they take revenge by purposely hurting the person in a way they know will be sure to work. Revenge cheating allows people to make their partner feel the pain and misery they had to go through when they were cheated on. They do say love is a game in which the cheaters always lose…

12. She doesn’t feel loved

In order to be happy people need to feel secure in their relationship, if she doesn’t feel loved and secure in the relationship then this can be another reason that leads to cheating. Let’s be honest as men we sometimes don’t pick up on everything, and women can sometimes seem to have many emotions, of which we can’t even begin to understand. It is probably the case that we don’t even realise she feels this way and perhaps there has been a breakdown of communication in the relationship, which is why she hasn’t told us. But by the time we realize it, it’s most likely already too late.

11. She has low self-esteem

Sometimes when people aren’t happy within themselves they do things to make themselves feel better that can hurt people that they care about. It is probably the case that the attention she gets from cheating makes her feel good and wanted. Unfortunately, the attention she gets from you is not enough to lift her low self-esteem and her fragile ego needs a boost from knowing that other men desire her also. If this is the case it’s probably better she spends some time alone working on fixing her low self-esteem issues rather than being in a relationship with anyone, otherwise, she will just continue to hurt people.

10. She wants a dashing prince charming

Although you may do all you can to make her happy it may be that you’re not quite living up to the fairy-tale expectations that all those Disney and rom-com movies portray as the perfect man and ideal relationship. She might need to be reminded that in the real world when you kiss a frog it won’t turn into a prince but you will just get frog slime on your lips – eww. The perfect man doesn’t exist and relationships work both ways, and hence why should you be the one putting in all the effort? If she can’t quite shake the image of the fairy-tale prince it could be that the cheating is her continuing the search for this non-existent man.

9. She needs a thrill

Cheating can be one way that some people get a rush. After all, it is exciting knowing that you are doing something bad and that you could potentially get caught. There’s just something about knowing you are doing something you shouldn’t that could have potentially destructive outcomes in your life that gives some people a high. Everyone has dark desires that they don’t want to admit to and for some people, cheating is the only way they can gain the thrill they need. She’s probably not thinking that you’ll actually find out and she will have to deal with the consequences of her bad behaviour.

8. She’s too scared to break up with you

No one wants to be the bad guy and breaking up with someone is difficult! Perhaps, an easy way out of a relationship you don’t want to be in is to cheat so that the other person will not want to be with you, making the break up easier. If you break up with someone and there isn’t a clear reason it can be tempting to change your mind, but once someone has cheated this is a definite action that can’t be taken back or changed. The cowardly way out of a relationship but for some this is a tried and tested break up method.

7. She’s cheating because it’s your fault

It is unsurprising to hear that a lot of people will blame their infidelity on the other person in the relationship. If someone feels like they have been mistreated or treated unfairly by their partner they can lash out by hurting them. A lot of people will also find it difficult to admit that they are in the wrong which is why blaming the other person and shifting the responsibility over to someone else can often be the ideal choice for a cheating partner. After all, if they are already cheating they are already lacking morals that other people value so why not shift the blame also?

6. She’s an attention seeker

Some people do literally believe that the world revolves around them, therefore they should be the centre of attention at all times. These people thrive on the attention of others, particularly when it comes to being desired by the opposite sex. It might be that they feel they’re not getting enough attention from their partner or maybe just getting attention from one person isn’t enough for them, no matter how much attention you give them. Either way, it’s time for them to grow up and get over themselves because if they continue to hurt people they will just end up alone anyway.

5. She sees no future with you

It’s not that she doesn’t like you or does not want to be with you. It could be that she doesn’t see herself settling down, getting married, having children and growing old with you. The relationship might suit her for now but ultimately, she doesn’t see any future potential in it. Therefore, cheating is a way of her continuing her search for Mr. Right even if that means hurting Mr. Right Now. Should she really pass up an opportunity on meeting ‘the one’ for someone she might not even remember in a few years’ time? Unfortunately, she just sees you as someone to pass the time with in the meantime.

4. She has control issues

Cheating can also be a demonstration of control in relationships or a play for power. After all, showing someone that you have the potential to hurt them and break them emotionally shows that you have control over them. She’s showing you that she is responsible for your happiness and can take it away from you when she feels like it. A very risky move because if you decide it’s game over for your relationship after this, she loses all the power in the relationship – forever! But no one should be able to hold this power over someone and want to hurt them so if she does, show her the door.

3. She wants to save your relationship

Quite a strange one as it doesn’t quite make sense to think that cheating can potentially save a relationship but if someone cheats it is often at a very low point of the relationship. By causing emotional distress and pain this can sometimes bring people closer together and make people realize what they really want. ‘We’ve never been stronger’ is something often heard from couples who have made it through the lows of a cheating partner, they’ve seen the darkness in the other person and chosen to accept the pain they have caused anyway by staying together and forgiving them.

2. Someone else shows an interest

It could be that she never went looking for somebody else and didn’t actively go out of her way to cheat on you. It might be someone else began to show an interest in her and build up a relationship, which could have begun as friendship before developing into something different over time. This other person perhaps confused her feelings and thoughts and made her unsure of what she really wants, which led the cheating to take place. This kind of cheating is probably unexpected from her perspective as well as yours, it doesn’t, however, make it right or justified in any way.

1. She doesn’t see it as cheating

Sounds silly but does she actually realize she’s cheating? ‘Emotional cheating’ is a topic that is often discussed with mixed and varied views on what classifies as ‘emotional cheating’. If she’s messaging a guy every day, getting to know him and spending time with him as friends, is this also a form of cheating? Or would you just consider them friends and be OK with this? Where the line is between friendship and something else can often be blurred and confusing for everyone involved. But however you define it, it can often be what actually leads to the physical cheating.