With the winter months over, it turns out that ‘uncuffing’ season is well and truly upon us.
More and more of us are approaching relationships differently, with alternative relationship dynamics such as polyamory and throuples growing in popularity.
No seriously, according to research carried out by sexual wellness brand Lovehoney, almost 2 in 5 of us would experiment with an open relationship.
By looking at marriage and divorce rates, as well as the percentage of the population ‘in a relationship’ the study explores where in the world people are seeking ‘conventional’ commitment the most.
‘Hungary’ for commitment
Hungary is revealed as the country where people are most likely to seek long-term, committed relationships
Hungarian citizens are the most likely to seek long-term, committed relationships. For every 1,000 Hungarians, 6.7 have tied the knot and only 1.5 of them subsequently un-tied it with a divorce.
Meanwhile, Portugal and Luxembourg are the second and third most committed after Hungary, with marriage rates far exceeding the rate of divorce in these countries. Meanwhile, Slovenia in fourth place boasts a divorce rate of only 0.8 per 1,000 people.
At the other end of the scale, Lativa ranks as the least committed, having the highest divorce rate of all countries studied (2.7 per 1,000 people) as well as the lowest percentage of people in relationships at 47.9%.
Three’s not a crowd
With not everyone seeking ‘conventional’ commitment, Lovehoney also conducted a survey looking into the types of relationships people would be open to trying. It revealed 38% of respondents would try an open relationship, with nearly a third (32%) seeing themselves in a throuple in the future.
Dr. Justin Lehmiller, social psychologist and research fellow at The Kinsey Institute, suggests that non-committed relationships and alternative dynamics are on the rise because of increased media representation and increasing expectations of what we want in a partner.
“First, we have more mainstream media representation of relationship diversity. It used to be rare that you would hear anything about consensual non-monogamy in the media – and when it was mentioned, it was typically stigmatised. Today, however, multi-partner relationships can be found everywhere from reality TV to front-page news. This greater representation has allowed many people to recognise that monogamy may not be the only option.
“Secondly, expectations for our relationships have grown over time. People today want a partner who will be both their best friend and a passionate lover – someone who can meet any and all needs that might arise now and forever. However, people seem to be increasingly recognising that it’s difficult – if not impossible – to have such high expectations for just one partner. As a result, some are now considering whether the best solution is to have different partners who can meet different needs.”