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Society & Culture

The unbearable fear of being cheated on

podcast March 18, 2026


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It’s easier than ever to cheat and to catch a cheater, but is that a good thing?

For example, there are apps and social media groups dedicated to outing a cheater. But what if that paranoia about cheating is actually hurting our relationships? And on top of that, definitions of “cheating” vary widely. How do you decide for yourself what really counts as cheating? And what’s really fueling our fear of being cheated on?

Brittany is joined by Kathryn Jezer-Morton, writer of the Brooding column from The Cut, and Shannon Keating, freelance culture journalist, to get to the bottom of why fear of infidelity haunts our culture and our dating lives.

Want more about modern dating? Check out these episodes:
The embarassing truth of dating men
Is he a good guy? Or is he manipulating you?

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