Time spent in that world can help them their actual world, while not giving up on having exciting, even emotional experiences.

Living within the two worlds is not easy, however, and may become increasingly risky when people do not realize the limitations of each.

People, consciously or not, consider their online sexual relationships as real—they experience psychological states similar to those typically elicited by offline relationships.

Generally, online affairs are easier to perform and put the agent in a less vulnerable position, as the chances of getting caught or being hurt in other ways are considerably reduced.