People in non-monogamous relationships are just as happy as those with only one partner, a new study has found.
Research published in The Journal of Sex Research has “challenged the monogamy-superiority myth” after it concluded that there is no significant difference between individuals in monogamous and non-monogamous relationships.
The analysis of 35 studies across the US and Europe found 24,489 people in both types of relationships reported similar levels of satisfaction in both their relationships and sex lives.
“Monogamous relationships are often assumed to offer greater satisfaction, intimacy, commitment, passion and trust than non-monogamous ones. This widespread belief – what we term as the ‘monogamy-superiority myth’ – is often reinforced by stereotypes and media narratives,” lead author of the study, associate professor Joel Anderson said.
“Our findings challenge this long-standing assumption outside of academia, providing further evidence that people in consensually non-monogamous relationships experience similar levels of satisfaction in their relationships and sex lives as those in monogamous ones.”
The majority relationships in the UK are monogamous, meaning people are only in a relationship with one person at a time.
Non-monogamy includes various consensual arrangements – such as open relationships – where couples are romantically exclusive but not sexually. Polyamory is also a form of non-monogamy, which involves having several romantic relationships simultaneously.
Calling for more support for diverse relationship structures, Professor Anderson said: “Romantic and sexual satisfaction significantly contribute to our overall well-being. These results call into question some of the common misconceptions about non-monogamy. Despite our findings demonstrating comparable satisfaction levels, people in non-monogamous relationships often face stigma, discrimination, and barriers to accessing supportive healthcare and legal recognition.”
The study found that satisfaction levels remained consistent across different demographics such as LGBTQ+ and heterosexual participants.
It also found the same levels of happiness among different types of consensual non-monogamous arrangements, such as open relationships and polyamory.
“What we see is that those non-monogamous relationships have great relationships and great sex, in spite of the fact that their relationships come under scrutiny in most societies, and in spite of the fact that they experience differential or even prejudiced treatment because of their relationships structures, which are viewed as out of the norm,” adds Professor Anderson.
