Tag: monogamy

    Monogamy Versus Non-monogamy: Who Is More Sexually Satisfied

    Guest Authored by Annelise Murphy at the University of Utah

    We chuckle when Madeline Kahn, as Mrs. White in the movie Clue, says, “Life after death is as improbable as sex after marriage” (Lyn, 1985), but then we nod in agreement upon hearing that Warren Beatty said, “The highest level of sexual excitement is in a monogamous relationship” (Finstad, 2006). Perhaps these seemingly polarizing attitudes exist because we have been told that monogamous relationships are the only path to everlasting happiness, but not everyone’s experiences align with that ideal.

    Surveys of the general public found that monogamous relationships are rated more positively than consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships (Burris, 2014). In addition, monogamous individuals are thought to be better people overall and are thought to be more trustworthy (Ritchie & Barker, 2007), and have higher commitment (Barker, 2005), sexual health(Hutzler, Giuliano, Herselman, & Johnson, 2016), and passion (Conley, Moors, Matsick, …

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    Research: Dimming the “Halo” Around Monogamy: Re-assessing Stigma Surrounding Consensually Non-monogamous Romantic Relationships as a Function of Personal Relationship Orientation

    Previous research suggests that both monogamous and consensually non-monogamous (CNM) participants rate monogamous targets more positively. However, this pattern of stigma toward CNM relationships and the “halo effect” surrounding monogamy is at odds with the view that people typically favor members from their own groups over members of other groups. In the current research, we sought to re-examine the halo effect, using a more direct measure of stigma (i.e., desired social distance), in a methodological context that differentiates between the three most common types of CNM relationships. A convenience sample (N = 641) of individuals who self-identified as monogamous (n = 447), open (n = 80), polyamorous (n = 62), or swinger (n = 52) provided social distance ratings in response to these same relationship orientations in a counterbalanced order. Congruent with prior findings, CNM participants favored monogamous targets over CNM targets as a broad …

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