Cheater cheater, chocolate eater
Some people love Valentine’s Day… others, not so much.
Those two categories don’t necessarily divide down couple/single lines, though—there are plenty of happily coupled people who just aren’t into all that lovey-dovey, corporate-sponsored, romantic crap.
But if you’d rather pretend Valentine’s Day isn’t a thing, it might be in your best interests to make sure your partner feels the same way.
AshleyMadison.com, a site devoted to helping married people have “discreet encounters” (read: cheating), claims that the day after 2012’s Valentine’s Day saw a 439 per cent increase in sign-ups compared to a typical day.
According to Nigel Biderman, the founder and CEO of Ashley Madison, the reason for the spike is disappointment with their spouse’s failure to live up to their Valentine’s expectations.
“People are disappointed by their spouses’ lack of effort, and they feel especially undervalued when there is a societal expectation of romance,” Biderman told USA Today. “Certain days of the year act as litmus tests for many people in relationships.”
Feeling bummed that you didn’t get chocolates, roses and a moonlit stroll on the beach is hardly a legit reason for infidelity, but Biderman makes a good point about people using Valentine’s as a test to see if their partner is worthy of exclusive sexual attention.
Unfortunately for those people (and their unsuspecting love interests), this is an absolutely ridiculous way to measure relationship success.
The date that your man-or-lady-friend plans out—or the items they buy you—on an arbitrary day has nothing whatsoever to do with their feelings for you or the potential longevity of your relationship.
But, if you actually feel justified in cheating on your significant other because they didn’t make Valentine’s Day into an avalanche of mushy, saccharine, clichéd “love,” that’s a pretty good indication you shouldn’t have a significant other.
So, maybe it’s not that you should make sure your partner doesn’t care about Valentine’s before blowing it off, and more that you should make sure your partner’s whole perception of your relationship doesn’t hinge on your performance on one arbitrary day of the year.
And if it does, there’s always June 2: National Break-Up Day.