As dreamy as the idea sounds, and morally right too, most people will testify that monogamy is hard work. With social media imposing upon our every step in life, it's a lot more convenient to find a shoulder to cry on if your partner upsets you.
And most of the time, this crying-on-shoulder thing escalates too quickly, and people are left stranded in a situation which – in the simplest of terms – would qualify as cheating.
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Adding to that, research also makes it clear that one's best intentions to remain faithful often don't stand a chance when faced with the prospect of an unexpected yet strong attraction to a third party.
As Daily Mail Online reports, most people confess to having had an extramarital affair, and say it was with a close friend, coworker or a long-term acquaintance. there are almost no cases where things happened with a random stranger.
And despite pop culture being replete with movies and songs branding acts of infidelity a "dealbreaker" in relationships, the study shows almost everybody has engaged in some type of infidelity or has faced it from their partner.
And this raises the question of the hour: Should we reconsider monogamy as the norm?
In multiple interviews, newlyweds from the US implied that despite expecting their relationship to stay monogamous, they and their partner have experienced extramarital thoughts, flirting and even arousal in the presence of a third party.
Now, even though the more tolerant countries with advanced, liberal views on exclusivity consider monogamy the way to go, while infidelity remains the primary cause behind the vast majority of break-ups and divorces.
And in cases of relationships that are given another shot, if not completely terminated, it really makes one think if people would be happier and rough patches would be avoided a lot more easily had monogamy not been considered the way to be.
Psychologist Ashley Thompson conducted a series of studies that make it clear that we tend to be slightly biased when it comes to the standards of monogamy we hold for ourselves and the ones we hold for our partners.
And this can be explained by how willing, lenient and justifiable we feel about explaining our own behaviour, than being ready to accept our partner's.
Alternative approaches like "consensual non-monogamy" — where romantic or sexual relationships beyond the primary relationship are allowed with the partner's consent — claim monogamy is far less stable owing to the jealousy and suspicious instincts in every relationship.
Endorsers of it also argue that people in supposedly monogamous relationships are less likely to practise safe sex when they cheat — risking both the third party and their partner's health due to the thrills of it.
While the sanctity of monogamy can be questioned in case of people who get into exclusive relationships almost every year, the key to a meaningful relationship is admitting that be it a fleeting attraction or a strong bond with a third party, it cannot ruin what one has in the primary relationship.
It might actually help the relationship get stronger and better!
