Polyamory Offers A “Unique Opportunity” To Enjoy Prolonged Passion And Closeness In Romantic Relationships

Posted on July 19, 2019

While passion can be experienced throughout a romantic relationship, it tends to decrease as the relationship progresses. Passion is most prominent in the early stages of a relationship and gradually transitions into a deeper and more nurturing relationship as time passes. Such progression is beneficial for the couple in long term commitment and if they are raising children, but the lack of passion might not be ideal for the relationship.

A group of researchers wanted to investigate the level of nurturance and eroticism between participants in monogamous and polyamorous relationships. Polyamorous individuals were recruited for the study from Facebook and Reddit groups where polyamorous discussions take place. Most of them have had their primary partners for about seven years, and have been with their secondary partners for about two years. The monogamous participants have been in their relationship for an average of 17 years.

The participants were asked to answer questionnaires that assessed the level of nurturance and eroticism in their relationships with each of their partners, as well as how sexually satisfied they felt in the relationship.

The data collected indicated that generally, the polyamorists experienced a higher level of nurturance with their primary partners while giving their secondary relationships a higher eroticism rating. The level of nurturance reported by polyamorists with their primary partners was higher than those reported by individuals in exclusive relationships.

These results have proven that monogamous relationships may not always be superior to other types of relationships, and that polyamory can be a chance for couples to enjoy greater relationship satisfaction. However, the nurturance ratings for polyamorists might be higher because someone who is able to accept their partner having a relationship with other people is likely to be a supportive individual in nature. The study does not suggest that all couples will be able to benefit from a non-exclusive relationship.

More research is needed to determine whether individuals would benefit from relying on various people to meet their needs with regards to nurturance and eroticism, instead of turning to just one person to satisfy all their needs in a romantic relationship.


Category(s):Relationships & Marriage

Source material from The British Psychological Society Research Digest