Is flirting , the same as cheating ?

Social media may make flirting seem easier or more widespread but the principles of whether it is wrong in a relationship are the same, according to a counsellor 

Locking eyes with someone and letting the moment linger - does that count as flirting? How about exchanging compliments on each other’s Instagram photos? 

And if flirting is defined as behaviour which suggests you are sexually attracted to someone - but stopping short of saying it outright – is it a form of cheating if you are spoken for?

To some, behaving flirtatiously – be that in person or on a device – is out-and-out wrong. If you are invested in your partner, your eyes shouldn’t wander. 

Yet, the answer can be easy to pin down if approached in the right way, explains Denise Knowles, a relationships counsellor at the charity Relate.

“I would never say flirting is cheating outright,” says Knowles. “It’s only when it starts to cause harm or the intention is to harm, or when you’re hiding - that’s when the betrayal happens and that can be very harmful," she told The Independent.

“If you’re having a chat and messing with someone, and it's understood from your side and their side that it’s just a bit of harmless fun and your partner also understands that, then you can enjoy it. 

 “But when you’re flirting and they are not sure of the boundaries or if your partner is unhappy with how you are behaving with other men and women and you continue to behave in that way, it can be very very harmful."

So, what say you ?