Open Relationship: Need Of The Hour Or Greed Of The Moment

Are Open Relationships as feasible as they sound? How do they work? What are the odds and why you should try one? Read on to know more

When I was single, whenever I saw a couple on a dating application, I would feign exacerbation and swipe left. Honestly, I used to think that they were just in an “open relationship” since they needed a reason to swindle around and cheat.

Yet, the more I found out about how open connections work for individuals, the more my judgment faded away and my interest and curiosity flourished.

Upon research, I realized that some open relationships work and some don’t. An open relationship works just like any monogamous relationship. It all depends on compatibility between people, relationship and communication skill. More so, a good emotional quotient helps.

Watch: Open Relationship Myths Busted

What Does Open Relationship Mean?

“An open relationship is a form of non-monogamy, which is an umbrella term for any physical or romantic partnership that is not predicated on exclusivity. There are tons of versions of this!”
Merriam-Webster

The great thing about this relationship is that it’s up to the couple to decide what level of involvement with secondary partners feels comfortable. Generally, the one rule with non-monogamy is that all sluttery must be done ethically, safely, and with the consent of all parties involved. Hence, each couple sits together and chalks out their own limit, rules and guidelines.

These relationships are often more complicated than traditional, monogamous relationships. Both partners have to want to be polyamorous. Hence, one person just goes along with, without really wanting to, in various cases.

When it comes to open relationships, communication and honesty are key, as in any relationship. You have to establish the rules and follow them diligently.

Another thing about these relationships is that they get crushed over time by the fear of society because society may not approve of it. You need to rise above and beyond the norms of society to reach a point where you can call your relationship successful.

Reasons To Try A Polyamorous Relationship

There’s no one, fixed point to a relationship of this sort. Generally, people enter into open relationships because they think it’s going to bring them more pleasure, joy, love, satisfaction, orgasms, excitement, or some combination of those emotions.

Watch: Account of a couple in an Open Relationship

In fact, research over the last several years estimates that 4-5 per cent of relationships in the world are non-monogamous. Even more, people are interested in the concept.

A 2014 study described in Psychology Today found that between 23-40 per cent of men and 11-22 per cent of women are curious to try a polyamorous relationship.

Well, here are some reasons you might consider an open relationship:

You and your partner both have a lot of love to give and believe you can love more than one person at once.
The partners want to explore your sexuality or sexual relationships with someone of a different gender.
You and your partner have a case of mismatched libidos.
One partner is asexual and not interested in sex, and the other would like to have sex.
Seeing (or hearing about) your partner having sex with someone else turns you on, or vice versa.

Work Out Kinks Of The Relationship

To work on an open relationship and indulge in one, you need to get all the ifs and buts out of the way. Sit with your partner and ask each other questions, find out why you would like to try this out.

Is it because you’ve developed feelings for someone else and would like to act on them? Is it because you or your partner have a lot of needs that can be better met by more than one person?

Also, while you’re at it, make sure that you work out the major and minor details of your relationship, where will you live? Will there be children? Will your partner also have other partners? What kinds of sex will you explore? What kind of love? How does this fantasy make you feel?

After this, you would probably want to set some rules and guidelines as to how exactly the relationship will work, what is allowed, and what is going to be a deal-breaker. Once all of this is solved and out of the way, you will be able to make an aware and informed decision together!

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Mehak Walia

Education: B. Arts in English Literature with a minor in Psychology and French, and a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication. | Mehak Walia covers the TV and Web stories for DKODING Media Inc. Before this, she has contributed to the celebrity and lifestyle beat. She started as a marketing professional with copywriting and social media as her forté and worked for firms like Loofre.com, Across the globe and Initiating you and Frapp India. She has also worked as the senior content strategist and HR Manager for Endorphins Entertainment Pvt. Ltd with Skoda India, Volvo India, Times of India, Local-Global and various others as her clients. She has written three books (fiction) and has been a part of various anthologies. Mehak also takes a particular interest in social work and psychology and has worked for various social stems of the country, including Smiles Foundation and Youth Awakening.