![[PDF]](/pb-assets/Icons/adobe-pdf-icon-1498649896243.png){kind=icon}
Abstract
Monogamous individuals are believed to have better sex lives than those who are consensually non-monogamous (CNM). We compared the sexual satisfaction of CNM and monogamous individuals and also considered the relationship satisfaction of participants utilizing a non-targeted sample of CNM participants. We found that monogamous people reported slightly lower sexual satisfaction and lower orgasm rates than those who are CNM. Moreover, the type of CNM in which a person engages is important: swingers consistently reported higher sexual satisfaction than monogamous individuals, whereas those in open relationships had equivalent levels of satisfaction to those in monogamous relationships. Relationship satisfaction did not differ between CNM and monogamous groups. These findings do not support the perception that people in monogamous relationships have better sex than CNM individuals.
References
|
Anapol, D. M. (1997). Polyamory: The new love without limits: Secrets of sustainable intimate relationships. San Rafael, CA: IntiNet Resource Center. Google Scholar | |
|
Armstrong, E. A., England, P., Fogarty, A. C. K. (2012). Accounting for women’s orgasm and sexual enjoyment in college hookups and relationships. American Sociological Review, 77, 435–462. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Aumer, K., Bellew, W., Hatfield, E., Heck, R. (2014). The happy green eyed monogamist: Role of jealousy and comparison in monogamous and non-traditional relationships. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 17. Retrieved from www.ejhs.org Google Scholar | |
|
Barker, M. (2005). This is my partner, and this is my…partner’s partner: Constructing a polyamorous identity in a monogamous world. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 18, 75–88. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Barker, M., Langdridge, D. (2010). Whatever happened to non-monogamies? Critical reflections on recent research and theory. Sexualities, 13, 748–772. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Barker, M., Ritchie, A. (2007). Hot bi babes and feminist families: Polyamorous women speak out. Lesbian and Gay Psychology Review, 8, 141–151. Google Scholar | |
|
Bergstrand, C., Williams, J. B. (2000). Today’s alternative marriage styles: The case of swingers. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 3. Retrieved from www.ejhs.org Google Scholar | |
|
Blasband, D., Peplau, L. (1985). Sexual exclusivity versus openness in gay male couples. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 14, 395–412. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Brehm, J. W. (1966). A theory of psychological reactance. New York, NY: Academic Press. Google Scholar | |
|
Burris, C. T. (2014). Torn between two lovers? Lay perceptions of polyamorous individuals. Psychology & Sexuality, 5, 258–267. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Byers, E. S. (2005). Relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction: A longitudinal study of individuals in long-term relationships. Journal of Sex Research, 42, 113–118. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Byers, E. S., Wang, A. (2004). Understanding sexuality in close relationships from the social exchange perspective. In Harvey, J. H., Wenzel, A., Sprecher, S. (Eds.), The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 203–234). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Google Scholar | |
|
Christopher, F. S., Sprecher, S. (2000). Sexuality in marriage, dating, and other relationships: A decade review. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 999–1017. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Conley, T. D. (2017). Comparisons of relationship outcomes in individuals participating in different types of consensual non-monogamy. Unpublished raw data. Google Scholar | |
|
Conley, T. D., Moors, A. C., Matsick, J. L., Ziegler, A. (2013). The fewer the merrier?: Assessing stigma surrounding consensually non-monogamous romantic relationships. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 13, 1–30. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Conley, T. D., Ziegler, A., Moors, A. C., Matsick, J. L., Valentine, B. (2013). A critical examination of popular assumptions about the benefits and outcomes of monogamous relationships. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 17, 124–141. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Conley, T. D., Matsick, J. L., Moors, A. C., Ziegler, A. (2017). Investigation of consensually nonmonogamous relationships. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12, 205–232. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
de Visser, R., McDonald, D. (2007). Swings and roundabouts: Management of jealousy in heterosexual “swinging” couples. British Journal of Social Psychology, 46, 459–476. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Dixon, J. K. (1984). The commencement of bisexual activity in swinging married women over age thirty. The Journal of Sex Research, 20, 71–90. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Dixon, J. K. (1985). Sexuality and relationship changes in married females following the commencement of bisexual activity. Journal of Homosexuality, 11, 115–134. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Driscoll, R., Davis, K. E., Lipetz, M. E. (1972). Parental interference and romantic love: the Romeo and Juliet effect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 24, 1–10. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Easton, D., Hardy, J. W. (2011). The ethical slut: A practical guide to polyamory, open relationships, and other adventures. New York, NY: Celestial Arts. Google Scholar | |
|
Fallis, E. E., Rehman, U. S., Woody, E. Z., Purdon, C. (2016). The longitudinal association of relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction in long-term relationships. Journal of Family Psychology, 30, 822–831. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Fernandes, E. (2009). The swinging paradigm: An evaluation of the marital and sexual satisfaction of swingers. Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality, 12. Retrieved from www.ejhs.org Google Scholar | |
|
Fleckenstein, J. R., Cox, D. W. (2015). The association of an open relationship orientation with health and happiness in a sample of older US adults. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 30, 94–116. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Frank, K., DeLamater, J. (2010). Deconstructing monogamy: Boundaries, identities, and fluidities across relationships. In Barker, M., Langdridge, D. (Eds.), Understanding non-monogamies (pp. 9–22). New York: Routledge. Google Scholar | |
|
Graham, C. A., Catania, J. A., Brand, R., Duong, T., Canchola, J. A. (2003). Recalling sexual behavior: A methodological analysis of memory recall bias via interview using the diary as the gold standard. The Journal of Sex Research, 40, 325–332. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Grunt-Mejer, K., Campbell, C. (2016). Around consensual nonmonogamies: Assessing attitudes toward nonexclusive relationships. The Journal of Sex Research, 53, 45–53. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Haupert, M. L., Gesselman, A. N., Moors, A. C., Fisher, H. E., Garcia, J. R. (2016). Prevalence of experiences with consensual nonmonogamous relationships: Findings from two national samples of single Americans. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 43, 424–440. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Hendrick, S. S., Dicke, A., Hendrick, C. (1998). The relationship assessment scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 15, 137–142. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | ISI | |
|
Hutzler, K. T., Giuliano, T. A., Herselman, J. R., Johnson, S. M. (2016). Three’s a crowd: Public awareness and (mis) perceptions of polyamory. Psychology & Sexuality, 7, 69–87. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Jenks, R. J. (1985). A comparative study of swingers and nonswingers: Attitudes and beliefs. Lifestyles: A Journal of Changing Patterns, 7, 5–20. Google Scholar | |
|
Kimberly, C., Hans, J. D. (2015). From fantasy to reality: A grounded theory of experiences in the swinging lifestyle. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 789–799. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
King, B. J. (2017). A cultural moment for polyamory. Cosmos and culture. Retrieved from ww.npr.org Google Scholar | |
|
Kipnis, L. (2004). Against love: A polemic. New York, NY: Pantheon Books. Google Scholar | |
|
Leigh, B. C., Gillmore, M. R., Morrison, D. M. (1998). Comparison of diary and retrospective measures for recording alcohol consumption and sexual activity. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 51, 119–127. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | ISI | |
|
Matsick, J. L., Conley, T. D., Ziegler, A., Moors, A. C., Rubin, J. D. (2014). Love and sex: Polyamorous relationships are perceived more favourably than swinging and open relationships. Psychology & Sexuality, 5, 339–348. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
McClelland, S. I. (2011). Who is the ‘self’ in self reports of sexual satisfaction? Research and policy implications. Sexuality Research & Social Policy, 8, 304–320. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Mogilski, J. K., Memering, S. L., Welling, L. L. M., Shackelford, T. K. (2017). Monogamy versus consensual non-monogamy: Alternative approaches to pursuing a strategically pluralistic mating strategy. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 407–417. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Moors, A. C. (2016). Has the American public’s interest in information related to relationships beyond “the couple” increased over time? The Journal of Sex Research, 54, 677–684. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Moors, A. C., Edelstein, R. S., Conley, T. D. (2012). Avoiding monogamy: Attachment, sex, love, and consensual non-monogamy. Paper presented at the Biennial Conference of the International Association for Relationship Research, Chicago, IL. Google Scholar | |
|
Moors, A. C., Matsick, J. L., Ziegler, A., Rubin, J. D., Conley, T. D. (2013). Stigma toward individuals engaged in consensual nonmonogamy: Robust and worthy of additional research. Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, 13, 52–69. Google Scholar | Crossref | ISI | |
|
Morrison, T. G., Beaulieu, D., Brockman, M., Beaglaoich, C. Ó. (2013). A comparison of polyamorous and monoamorous persons: Are there differences in indices of relationship well-being and sociosexuality? Psychology & Sexuality, 4, 75–91. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Perel, E. (2007). Mating in captivity: Unlocking erotic intelligence. New York, NY: Harper. Google Scholar | |
|
Ramey, J. W. (1975). Intimate groups and networks: Frequent consequence of sexually open marriage. The Family Coordinator, 24, 515–530. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Ritchie, A., Barker, M. (2006). ‘There aren’t words for what we do or how we feel so we have to make them up’: Constructing polyamorous languages in a culture of compulsory monogamy. Sexualities, 9, 584–601. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Rubel, A. N., Bogaert, A. F. (2015). Consensual nonmonogamy: Psychological well-being and relationship quality correlates. The Journal of Sex Research, 52, 961–982. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Rubin, A. M., Adams, J. R. (1986). Outcomes of sexually open marriages. The Journal of Sex Research, 22, 311–319. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Rubin, H., Campbell, L. (2011). Day-to-day changes in intimacy predict heightened relationship passion, sexual occurrence, and sexual satisfaction: A dyadic diary analysis. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3, 224–231. Google Scholar | SAGE Journals | |
|
Rubin, J. D., Moors, A. C., Matsick, J. L., Ziegler, A., Conley, T. D. (2014). On the margins: Considering diversity among consensually non-monogamous relationships. Journal fur Psychologie, 22, 1–23. Google Scholar | |
|
Schoenfeld, E. A., Loving, T. J., Pope, M. T., Huston, T. L., Štulhofer, A. (2017). Does sex really matter? Examining the connections between spouses’ nonsexual behaviors, sexual frequency, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46, 489–501. Google Scholar | Crossref | Medline | |
|
Sprecher, S., Cate, R. M. (2004). Sexual satisfaction and sexual expression as predictors of relationship satisfaction and stability. In Harvey, J. H., Wenzel, A., Sprecher, S. (Eds.), The handbook of sexuality in close relationships (pp. 235–256). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Google Scholar | |
|
Sprecher, S., McKinney, K. (1993). Sexuality. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. Google Scholar | Crossref | |
|
Young, M., Denny, G., Luquis, R., Young, T. (1998). Correlates of sexual satisfaction in marriage. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 7, 115–117. Google Scholar |
