Polyamory is on the rise, yet at the same time, younger people are turning away from romance and dating. Does Gen Z want multiple partners or none at all?
left to right: Elliott Gould, Natalie Wood, Robert Culp and Dyan Cannon on the poster for the 1969 film ‘Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice’.
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The publication 25 years ago of The Ethical Slut shattered social norms and stigma about non-monogamy. It’s now sold over 200,000 copies – and continues to be important.
Given the complexity of polycules, it’s important for participants to be on the same page.
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It’s not logical to believe your relationship is “meant to be.” But believing in destined love may have evolved as a way to keep couples together long enough to reproduce and raise children.
Changing environmental conditions can put stress on coupled-up animals.
Natasha Gillies
A new study finds that women are just as likely as men to assume something’s wrong with a woman who decides she wants to sleep with a handful of partners.
The popular image of Black men is skewed in America.
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The image of Black men in the US is distorted by the media and selective academic studies, says a scholar who has studied Black men’s romantic lives. ‘Black love matters’ is his counter to that image.
Men’s level of involvement in parenting is often tied to social norms about monogamy.
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Biologists investigated whether birds that search for multiple mates would evolve ever more elaborate songs to attract them. What they found might have surprised Darwin.
Are polyamorists hiding in your family?
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Many people are ‘polyamorous’ — they have two or more romantic partners. Often they struggle to disclose this to family, making for challenges in the holidays.
Is a too-strict definition of monogamy undermining your relationship? Research shows that while most people expect exclusivity in a relationship, infidelity is still the leading cause of divorce.
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Seeking monogamy without jealousy? Try ditching the fear of your partner’s intimate connections with others and write your own relationship rules, suggests a relationship researcher.
Although South Africa has taken steps to rid itself of the apartheid-era view of marriage as only heterosexual and monogamous, discrimination against religious marriages persist.
Victorian mores influenced ideas not just about men and women but animals too.
Joseph Christian Leyendecker
Victorian attitudes influenced what scientists thought they were observing about sexual behaviors in the animal world. But modern techniques reveal the myth for what it is.
Do we accept attraction and attachment the way they are, or find ways to intervene?
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While people cheating on their partners is frowned upon in modern society, monogamy among mammals is something of an evolutionary puzzle. Some stick to one sexual partner for a lifetime. That is why the…
Male crimson chat feeding his offspring … but are they all his?
Simon Griffith
Why do females cheat on their partners? A new study of songbirds in the US – published today – suggests cheating females are more successful in the long-run and get more grandchildren. Why? Because the…
Sex is often viewed as a totally harmonious interaction between a male and female with the same innate goal – to produce offspring. But it is becoming increasingly clear to biologists that the reproductive…
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford