We all know at least one person who always has a significant other, even immediately after a breakup. Lately I’ve noticed that serial monogamy—leaping from one exclusive relationship to the next—has become a more popular and accepted dating trend among my friends and acquaintances. Why?

According to Psychology Today, serial monogamists usually believe in some kind of ideal love and in the importance of commitment to one partner, but keep a safe distance from the idea that true love should happen only once in a lifetime. Why chain ourselves to one Prince Charming when we can find a new one as … Read More

During a recent business trip, I found myself shoe-horned into the back of a taxi with colleagues in various stages of inebriation, hurtling through chancy neighborhoods of Baltimore. I was on my Blackberry with my wife, going through the litany of "kids/mail/bills/when are you coming home/this single mother crap is getting old" when the cabbie abruptly stopped at our destination. "Gotta go, hon," I said. "We just pulled up to the strip club." My colleagues turned their heads my way, mouths open.

"You told her you were going here tonight?" one colleague asked.

"My wife would throw my junk on the … Read More

Married men looking for a loophole that allows for a little sideline action is nothing new. In fact, the idea of an open marriage is as much a part of the new male fantasy as say, a first-round draft pick or a three-point basket at the final buzzer.

But open marriage isn't just a guy thing. Referred to as "monogamy 2.0" or "negotiated wedlock," there's an entire vocabulary dedicated to spouse-approved affairs. Along with the lingo comes a limited permission slip to partake in extramarital activities without getting grounded. Think of Larry and Cheryl David's agreement on Curb Your … Read More

Oxytocin is quite a busy hormone. When released in the brain, it facilitates sex, orgasm, birth and breastfeeding, as well as feelings of bonding, connection and trust.

"Monogamy Is Good, And It's Here To Stay." I was leery about this piece the minute I saw the title. But as soon as I read it and saw the word "fad" used to describe the kind of relationship that I have been deliriously happy in for years (and the kind hundreds of other people I have met have been in for decades) I knew I was dealing with a classic case of fear and misunderstanding—a dangerous mix. I thought I might simply reply in the comments section, but I quickly realized that I had way too much … Read More

Have given a great deal of thought about it and polyamory is the way I would go on a new relationship. Nevertheless, when you have already begun on a different path it is not that easy to just get rid of everything and re-start. Books like "The Ethical Slut" or "Polyamory: A guide to infinite possibilities" opened my eyes to a lifestyle that adjusts more to my needs.
Nevertheless, those are only my needs. From few conversations that I have had the courage to start with my wife, it is very clear in my mind that although she … Read More

Why aren’t you in an open relationship yet? Carla Bruni Sarkozy, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, famously "prefers polygamy and polyandry." In July, Reveal magazine quoted Will Smith as saying that he and wife Jada Pinkett-Smith allow each other extra-marital dalliances. Oprah did a segment on open marriages. And both YourTango contributor Jenny Block and Village Voice sex columnist Tristan Taormino have brand new books out on open relationships. All of this talk of free love is enough to make chicks who prefer old-fashioned monogamy feel a bit, well, old-fashioned. But if history can … Read More

I'm single, 40, and have dated more than any good man should. Add to that the fact that I love women, I love seducing, and my ego is clearly invested in the power it gives me, and something tells me I'm not the man you'd think would advocate devotion and fidelity. But the truth is, I'm a closet monogamist. It doesn't come easily, it might not even come naturally, but at the end of the day, I think monogamy is a majesty worth fighting for. Many of the reasons are obvious—the comfort, having a good-guy reputation, the … Read More

Conventional wisdom dictates that men are so sexual that they can't possibly be faithful, and the stereotypical gay man has sex with bathhouses full of dudes every night. So what could we possibly learn from gay men about monogamy? A lot, according to Joe Kort, author of Psychology Today's Gay's Anatomy blog.

I dated this wonderful man for a year—let's call him Dan—and on paper, he was perfect. Dan was smart, funny, and sweet. He fed my cats when I visited my grandparents over a long weekend. He brought over Emergen-C and Haagen-Dazs, when I had a cold and didn't mind when I watched Clueless for the fifteenth time between sniffles. In short, he was a great guy.