AN OXFORDSHIRE scientist has revealed signs your partner is cheating - including being protective over their phone and becoming newly concerned about their appearance.

Macken Murphy, 25, studied for a Master of Science degree in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology at Oxford University and wrote about why people cheat.

As part of his studies, Mr Murphy delved into the reasons why people cheat and read how it's often due to a desire for variety and connection.

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Mr Murphy suggests new vanity, tech secrets and not wanting to talk about a specific person are all indicators your other half could be being unfaithful.

Mr Murphy, from Oxford, said: "When men commit infidelity they do so out of a desire for romantic variety.

"They want more partners for the sake of having more partners. This desire comes from evolutionary benefits in our ancestry.

"There are some interesting differences between men and women's infidelity. "Women are often sexually motivated but they are also emotionally motivated.

"Women are much more likely to be in love with their affair partner compared to men. "There is much more likely to be emotional disengagement from their partner during an affair.

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"It is upsetting, but many men who are completely happy with their wives still make the unfortunate decision to commit infidelity - that is one difference we see.

"Yes, men are more motivated to cheat by variety, and women do tend to be more emotionally involved in affair partners.

"These differences between men and women are on average differences, not 100 percent of the time differences. Many men cheat for emotional reasons and many women cheat for sexual variety."

Mr Murphy said one sign your partner could be cheating on you is if they are protective over their phone and are not willing to show you.

He said: "If your partner is never leaving their phone out and never plugging their phone into your car play.

"They're doing that thing where they turn the phone face down so you can't see the notifications. If you are seeing all those sorts of signs, take it as a clue that they might be hiding something.”

Mr Murphy said another cause for concern could be if your partner has started taking a sudden interest in their fitness and lifestyle.

He added there are many indicators of infidelity but often when being cheated on, people will have a sense of who their partner is cheating on them with.

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He said: "Often times when a person is getting cheated on, they have an intuition as to who they are being cheated on with.

"If you have someone in mind, bring them up around your partner and see if they want to change the topic."

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This story was written by Gee Harland. She joined the team in 2022 as a senior multimedia reporter.

Gee covers Abingdon, Didcot, Wallingford and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: gee.harland@newsquest.co.uk

Follow her on Twitter @geeharland