10 Weird Habits Serial Cheaters Are More Likely To Have Vs. One-Time Cheaters

Serial cheaters are good at avoiding established patterns or routines in a relationship, Kevin Darné, dating expert and author of My Cat Won't Bark! (A Relationship Epiphany), tells Bustle. So if you're dating a serial cheater, take note if you aren't falling into a routine. In fact, Darné says they might make it a point early on to make themselves as hard to pin down as possible. They may carve out a "free night" for themselves, or they will find ways to explain why routine doesn't work with their lifestyle. "Essentially they will find a way to create time and space away from their mate early on to avoid raising suspicions later on," he says. Smart, but super shady. One-time cheaters are less likely to manipulate your relationship in a way that suits their needs.

If your partner makes a conscious effort to keep their phone away from you at all times, they might be having an ongoing affair. "Even if the relationship is brand new, or they have nothing to hide, old habits die hard," Amica Graber, relationship expert for SafeSwipe, tells Bustle. "If someone is used to hiding information from their partner, they're likely to be jumpy about you so much as touching their phone." So watch for red flags like walking into another room to take calls, answering late-night texts, or keeping their phone faced down on the table whenever you're around. After being caught, one-time cheaters will likely be more transparent with what they're doing on their phone in order to rebuild trust.

"Serial cheaters will talk a good game about being faithful in the future but they will display no distancing behaviors to the people and situations they were involved in at the time they cheated," Caleb Backe, Health and Wellness Expert for Maple Holistics, tells Bustle. In other words, their actions won't match their words. If you don't feel like your partner is being sincere with you, trust yout gut. One-time cheaters will back their words up with actions. They will not only give you a meaningful apology, but will do their best to prove to you that they can be a devoted partner.

While not all risk-takers are serial cheaters, people who have difficulties controlling impulses may be more likely to cheat. As Graber says, "Risk takers may discover that cheating provides them with the same adrenaline rush as other risky behaviors." One-time cheaters are less likely to view cheating as a way to get an adrenaline rush. Because of that, they're less likely to seek it out again.

Serial cheaters will give you just enough information to make you feel like you know them, but you might still be left guessing. "They’re very vague when it comes to telling you about their life or what goes on when you’re not around," Ricciardi says. If you want to know more about them, they might get upset and give you the excuse that they like to keep their life private. In turn, you might feel bad for "prying" and won't ask again. Regardless of what they say, never feel bad for wanting to get to know more about the person you are dating. If your partner cheated one time, it may be more shocking to you to find out since they were likely much more open with you from the very beginning.

While not all selfie-enthusiasts are prone to cheating, serial cheaters can be narcissistic, Graber says. Typical behaviors of a narcissist can include attention-grabbing behavior on social media. "Narcissists are preoccupied with feeding their ego, which makes them prime candidates to be serial cheaters," she says. So if you notice that your partner is very into themselves, that's a red flag to keep in mind. For serial cheaters, it's all about them and what they can gain from their affairs. One-time cheaters will care more about their partner's feelings and reactions.

Serial cheaters have a lot of experience getting others to trust them. They know how to use their charm in order to win people over pretty easily. As Tina B. Tessina, aka Dr. Romance, psychotherapist and author of Love Styles: How to Celebrate Your Differences, tells Bustle, if your partner says what you always want to hear, be careful. "It might really be just what you want to hear and not the truth," she says. No matter how uncomfortable the conversation will be, one-time cheaters will tell you the truth of what happened. They'll even put in the effort to help your relationship overcome this rough spot.

"This is a huge habit for a serial cheater because it helps their guilty conscious," Ricciardi says. Serial cheaters may be quick to distract you, but "[t]ake it as a red flag," she says. "Chances are, they’re saying sorry for something they’ve done without wanting to admit it." One-time cheaters may give you gifts in an effort to help make things right. But more importantly, they will do their best to prove to you that they're going to be faithful moving forward.

When a serial cheater is caught, they will look for different ways to justify their behavior. According to Graber, "applying an armchair diagnosis," such as "a fear of commitment" or a "sex addiction" is an easy way for them to avoid taking responsibility for their actions. Unless they legitimately have a problem they're seeking treatment for, this may not be true. "Watch out for someone who uses these types of excuses for treating you badly," she says. One-time cheaters, if they're truly remorseful, will own up to their mistakes.

Serial cheaters don’t think cheating is as big of a deal as one-time cheaters do. As relationship expert and author April Masini tells Bustle, serial cheaters are used to cheating. "Somewhere in their history, whether it’s parents, mentors or the culture they grew up in, they saw cheating as normal," she says. "So when they talk about it, they will make it seem like it's not such a big deal." One time cheaters, on the other hand, will be more introspective and regretful. Their infidelity will likely have made much more of an impact on them.

If you catch your partner cheating, only you can determine whether or not that's something you can live with. For some, a one-time thing is a total dealbreaker. For others, they'll give their partner a few more chances before they decide it's finally time to go. But if you've caught your partner once and you're wondering if they're going to do it again, these habits can help you figure out which category of cheater they fall under.