An Exploratory Study of Individuals in Non-traditional, Alternative Relationships: How “Open” Are We?

“We Agree and Now Everything Goes My Way”: Consensual Sexual Nonmonogamy, Extradyadic Sex, and Relationship Satisfaction

“…We defined sexually non-monogamous relationships (SNMR) as those in which individuals are each other's primary partners and have consensually agreed upon extradyadic sex. 18,19 Individuals in SNMR (vs. SMR) are more sociosexually unrestricted, report greater sexual frequency, greater relationship quality and greater personal happiness. [20][21][22] Whereas individuals in SMR perceive extradyadic sex as a transgressive behavior, 23,24 those in SNMR do not hold such perception.…”

“…[20][21][22] Whereas individuals in SMR perceive extradyadic sex as a transgressive behavior, 23,24 those in SNMR do not hold such perception. 18,25 Therefore, it is important to examine whether the association between sociosexuality and relationship satisfaction is moderated by sexual agreement.…”

“…36 This helps prevent infidelity, perceived to be a violation of commitment and trust. 18,37 When entering a new Sexual (non-)monogamy and relationship satisfaction 5 relationship, individuals become more sociosexually restricted, 38 which is associated with lesser likelihood of face-to-face and online extradyadic sex 12 and with greater relationship quality. 39 Presumably individuals focus on their romantic relationship, rather than their predisposition for casual sex, and decide not to engage in infidelity 40 Still, infidelity sometimes occur.…”

“…22,25 In fact, individuals in SNMR report happy and fulfilling relationships, granted partners are mutually honest and establish boundaries for this agreement. 18 Indeed, when partner have a mutual agreement to have online extradyadic interactions within pre-agreed boundaries (e.g., online contact only), 42 they report greater relational growth. 43 A possible explanation for this is that individuals in SNMR hold permissive perceptions of infidelity within those established boundaries and do not consider online or face-to-face extradyadic sex as infidelity.…”

“…43 A possible explanation for this is that individuals in SNMR hold permissive perceptions of infidelity within those established boundaries and do not consider online or face-to-face extradyadic sex as infidelity. 18 Therefore, engaging in such behaviors does not impair relationship quality. 22 Recently Fleckenstein and Cox 21 even showed an increment in personal happiness and health among individuals in SNMR, presumably due to a greater sexual frequency.…”