Should a Friend Tell a Friend If Their Husband or Wife Is Cheating?

Should you tell?

Your Friend is Entitled to Know

Approximately 40 percent of spouses have affairs at one time or another, so finding out that your friend's spouse is having an affair is not implausible. If you know that your information is absolutely true as opposed to just a hunch, your friend is entitled to know what her spouse is doing. Your friend may also be at risk for sexually transmitted diseases as a result of the affair, so this is a step you might take to protect your friend on more than one level.

Your Friend May Not Want to Know

Your friend may already know about the affair and is trying desperately to ignore the situation. Finding out about the affair may prompt your friend to file for divorce and may split the family apart. Regardless of whether your friend stays married or ends the marriage as the result of the affair, your relationship may be strained because she associates you with finding out about the affair.

Bottom Line

Dallas News advice columnist Carolyn Hax urges readers to tell a friend about a spouse's apparent infidelities, but reminds readers that this may very well end the friendship. She also urges readers to never tell a friend about a potential affair unless there is indisputable proof. In the end it comes down to a spouse's right to know what her husband is doing and with whom.

References

• Dallas News: Carolyn Hax Advice Column
• Infidelity Facts: Infidelity Statistics