Using online dating to cheat? Don’t!

GlobalWebIndex recently released a market research study that stated 42% of users on Tinder are either married or in a relationship.

Now Tinder CEO Sean Rad has stated that Tinder is also a “social discovery platform.” Even if that were true, 42% is big number and we have to assume some people are using the app to cheat on their significant others.

Given my previous columns, most of you probably think I’m the type of guy who would advocate for cheating. Don’t judge a book by its cover. I might sleep my way through half of Manhattan and give single moms glimpses of hope, but I don’t cheat.

I don’t care if you’ve been married for 60 years or you’ve been in a relationship for 60 seconds — don’t cheat. That personal belief is geared towards both men and women. Cheating isn’t gender restrictive.

Speaking from personal experience, getting cheated on is a horrible feeling. My girlfriend at the time told me right away, and looking back it wasn’t that big of a deal. However, at the time it was the worst thing in my world and I still remember it vividly to this day.

If it made that profound of an impact on someone like the “NYC Tinder Guy” — I wear that badge with pride — then that speaks volumes about how much it sucks to get cheated on.

If you don’t think you can handle a relationship and you want to have another go around with the dating game, that’s fine. Temptation is all around us, especially in New York City. Go on Tinder. Get back out there. Do you. But put the person you supposedly care about first and end things before you start “running a train” on the dating world.

Don’t you remember Richard Gere’s face after he found out his wife (Diane Lane) was having an affair in the movie “Unfaithful?” Poor guy. Or how about Michael Douglas’ wife in “Fatal Attraction?” She almost got killed because of her husband’s cheating. Might not be real life, but I’m making a point here.

There were a lot of reasons I ended my last relationship. The only one I’ll actually acknowledge in this column is that I knew I wasn’t ready to commit myself to someone for the rest of my life. Rather than cheat on her while trying to keep the relationship intact, I did the right thing and ended things first.

I’m not in a relationship right now for the same reason. To quote the late, great comedian Patrice O’Neal, I know I still have to get some “evil” out of me.

I can’t walk to work in the morning without checking out 20 different women along the way. Therefore, I doubt I’m ready to commit myself to a serious relationship at the moment. Seriously though, my parents came in to visit me in the city last weekend and my mom had to smack me upside my head for checking out an absolute bombshell on the High Line in front of her.

Side note: If you are looking to pick up girls, go to the High Line on a nice day.

Another side note: If you’re an attractive girl who enjoys the High Line, feel free to e-mail me at the address provided below.

At this point, I’m not settling down again until it’s with someone I know I’m going to marry. The girl I end up with is going to be everything I’m looking for in someone; I can afford to be picky, I write a dating column for Christ’s sake.

So, I ask you this: If the future Mrs. Hogan is perfect for me, why would I want to cheat on her? Same goes for you. If you love your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or husband, why would you want to cheat on him or her?

However, for the moment, I’m still single. And while I did say I would never cheat on my significant other, I never said I wouldn’t sleep with a girl who was already in a relationship.

Don’t judge me, I’m not the one cheating. Like I said before, I’m not in a relationship for a reason.