To ask what exactly is an emotional affair?

[LustyBusty]

Kind of a TAAT, but... I'm a bit confused. I hear on here a lot about emotional affairs, and I'm not sure where you draw the line? And is it different if the friend is the same sex as you or opposite? The below example is a situation I found myself in with (now ex for unrelated reasons!) dp a couple of years ago.
I have 2 friends F (female) and M (male). F is the same age as me, known her 10 years, lives 300 miles away, share everything with her, but usually only once a month or so. M is 20 years older than me, known him 3 years or so, is a work colleague and I share most things with him, we usually go out for a drink once a week. (Context, I work away from home, don't see dp in the week at all.) I would say I get on equally well with both M and F, but they are different friendships. F is for girly chat, support, bitching etc, M is for fun, rude jokes etc. I would text both a lot outside of work.
Was I having an EA with M?
TIA, Lusty

I think it's narrow to define "inappropriate" just as "sexual", for me anyway. I have been married a long time

if someone cannot be trusted to not place friendships and time spent maintaining them above family commitments and maintaining that then they have no place being in a committed relationship.

Its not an affair of any description but it is acting like a selfish prat.

Sock

I think we are agreeing. Some people have EAs with alcohol, gambling, the pub, football. All these things make you happy, make you feel powerful, distract you from the boring bits of everyday life

All of them, in moderation are fine. Having a friend of the opposite sex isn't the same as having an EA just as having the odd pint isn't the same as alcoholism.

Is this an emotional affair? Seeing her 4 times a week and talking on the phone most days. Enrolling in classes together and then going for dinner after or tea before. Her buying him red roses for his birthday and insisting her baby chose them (bugger off!). Having one or two raging fights which made him cry. Telling her absolutely everything. Insisting on being present at the birth of her child even though I asked him not to be. I think I was naive .

Yes, Monkey Nuts, I think that was probably an emotional affair and it would be very upsetting to witness by the partner of either.

Well he was my partner....ho hum. In the end I expressed how upset I was by it and asked could we please all sit down together to talk? They refused and that was the end of it for me. I wasted 8 years on him.