Between the Sheets: Is Kissing Cheating?

Is Kissing Cheating? This was a hot topic of discussion yesterday between a few friends of mine and myself. As we walked along the streets of New Orleans we discussed the finer details of cheating. “Does everything really need to have a word association? It’s a spectrum- that was not cool, that was really not cool, and that was super definitely not cool.” David’s point made me think does each person has their sticking points? And why is kissing as a form of cheating a fairly controversial idea?
 

Annie commented, “I think it’s not really about the cheating, if there is a repeated behavior then there’s obviously something else going on, another issue that they’re not talking about.” This comment just goes back to the question: why do people cheat? Studies have shown that men usually cheat because they’re bored and women cheat because there is something missing in their current relationship. This is why in a marriage it is harder to recover if the woman does the cheating. 

I’m curious about how many people have cheated… and what their course of action was afterwards. In my experience, honesty has usually been the best policy- if the person you’re with values the relationship, they will understand that you made a mistake and talk with you and decide with you if the two of you should or should not be together. Couples have to figure out where the line is if they want a steady relationship. But if the two people involved have a different idea of what cheating is, what do they do if they disagree on this fundamental issue?
 
Back to my original question though: is kissing cheating? Does it depend on what kind of kiss it was for you? Or perhaps it depends on who the other person was? If it was just one kiss and your partner told you would you be angry? The general consensus from one of my groups of friends was “yes, kissing is cheating,” but the other group I spoke with was not so ready to give an answer- “There are too many factors. It would depend on the situation- I could forgive a drunk kiss that happened with some Rando, but not with a sober kiss with an ex.”
It seems the lines that define cheating are not so clearly drawn when it comes to the passion of a kiss.