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Christmas is the most popular time of year for people to cheat, and the office holiday party is a notorious place to do it

(Getty Images) New data from IllicitEncounters.com found the Christmas season is the most popular time of year for cheating. Of those surveyed, 57% said they cheated with a coworker at the office holiday party. Additionally, 85% of respondents said they experienced more feelings of passion and excitement during the holidays, which drove them to cheat. If your partner avoids eye contact, seems unusually chipper, or avoids displays of affection with you, it could be a sign they are cheating, Patti Wood, a body language relationship expert, told INSIDER in a previous interview. Hollywood depicts holiday parties as no-holds-barred events that can end in scandal, and new data from IllicitEncounters.com may confirm that depiction.

The site, which helps married people find others to cheat with, polled 1,000 users and discovered that Christmas is the most popular time of year for cheating , with 57% of respondents cheating with a co-worker at the holiday party, according to data shared with INSIDER.

"Sexual tensions which have been bubbling up over the course of the working year finally explode due to drink and the opportunity to grab a kiss under the mistletoe," IllicitEncounter.com spokesperson Christian Grant said in a statement. In fact, 85% of respondents said the holidays drove them to feel more passionate and excited, as well as party more with coworkers, which lead to many of the affairs.

Not only were more people driven to cheat, but out of those who did, only 32% said they had regrets about the act and 46% said they continued their affairs after the holiday party was over.

If your partner seems happier than usual or avoids eye contact, it could be a sign they are cheating Cheating can manifest in a number of ways, but some signs your partner is being unfaithful include avoiding eye contact , as well as displays of affection, and seeming happier than usual, Patti Wood, a body language relationship expert, told INSIDER in a previous interview.

These involuntary cues typically can't be controlled, no matter how hard a person wants to hide their affair, Wood noted.

"Unless you're in a relationship with a psychopath, narcissist, or sociopath, who don't feel empathy in the normal way, most people can't control these from happening," she said.

There are multiple factors to consider if you catch your partner cheating, like disinterest in the relationship or blaming outside forces for the affair If you do catch your partner in the midst of a Christmastime affair, there are multiple factors to consider before you end or continue the relationship. For example, blaming external forces like alcohol , as two-thirds of IllicitEncounter.com survey respondents did, could be a sign they'll do it again, INSIDER previously reported.

If the cheater seems disinterested in repairing your relationship, still speaks to the person they cheated with, or won't explain their reasoning for the affair, you may want to reconsider the relationship and move on.

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