The bad news: According to a new Netflix study, 46% of "streaming couples around the world" are guilty of "cheating" on their partners. The good news: It's not the kind of cheating you're thinking of.
Defining adultery as "watching a TV show ahead of your significant other," Netflix confirms that the habit has tripled in frequency since a first analysis back in 2013. What shows are most people cheating on? The binge-worthy ones: The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, American Horror Story, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Narcos and Stranger Things ("The shows are just so good we can't stop bingeing," explain 66% of the interviewed cheaters).
Although happening all over the world, it seems like the "adulterous" behavior is mostly prevalent in Brazil and Mexico, "where 57%-58% of streaming couples have cheated, respectively." Folks in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, by contrast, are the most faithful to their partners.
Unless you live in Hong Kong, "where 40% [of respondents] think [that] watching ahead of your partner is worse than having an actual affair," your virtual infidelity may actually not be such a big deal—almost half of the respondents find the habit to not be "bad at all." Either way, you'll probably want to be on the lookout, especially since the new season of Stranger Things will be here before you know it. And, if you happen to catch your lover cheating (or if you happen to be the unfaithful one), take a cue from these GIFs created by Netflix to... see things from another perspective?
Photograph: Netflix
Photograph: Netflix