Editing Open relationship (section)

==Research on open marriages==
===Positive outcomes===
Published 1974, a national study of sexuality conducted by Hunt found that relatively few people engage in swinging. Hunt attributed the low number of people in these open marriages to various social, psychological, and practical problems. Yet, some of these people "confirmed what the advocates and enthusiasts have claimed—namely, that marital swinging can provide physically intense experiences, that it can be immensely ego-gratifying and that it is a temporary release from confinement and responsibility and a brief chance to live out one's wildest fantasies" (pages 273–274).<ref name="Hunt, 1974" />

Some studies show that couples in open marriages can maintain satisfying relationships. Rubin observed no differences in marital adjustment between couples in open marriages and couples in sexually monogamous marriages.<ref name="Rubin, 1982">{{Cite journal |last=Rubin |first=Arline M. |date=December 1982 |title=Sexually open versus sexually exclusive marriage: a comparison of dyadic adjustment |journal=Alternative Lifestyles |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=101–108 |doi=10.1007/BF01083247 |s2cid=144809888}}</ref> Rubin and Adams reported no differences in marital satisfaction between couples in open marriages and couples in sexually monogamous relationships.<ref name="Rubin, Adams, 1986">{{Cite journal |last1=Rubin |first1=Arline M. |last2=Adams |first2=James R. |date=1986 |title=Outcomes of sexually open marriages |journal=[[Journal of Sex Research|The Journal of Sex Research]] |publisher=[[Taylor and Francis]] |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=311–319 |doi=10.1080/00224498609551311}}</ref> Gilmartin likewise found no differences in marital satisfaction between sexually open and sexually monogamous couples.<ref name="Gilmartin, 1978">{{Cite book |last=Gilmartin |first=Brian G. |title=The Gilmartin report |publisher=Citadel Press |year=1978 |location=Citadel Press |oclc=4135878}}</ref> A study by Bergstrand and Willams found couples in open marriages had higher levels of satisfaction than couples in the general population.<ref name="Bergstrand, Williams, 2000">{{Cite journal |last1=Bergstrand |first1=Curtis |last2=Williams |first2=Jennifer Blevins |date=10 October 2000 |title=Today's alternative marriage styles: the case of swingers |url=http://www.ejhs.org/volume3/swing/body.htm |journal=[[Electronic Journal of Human Sexuality]] |publisher=[[Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality]] |volume=3 |access-date=26 July 2006}}</ref>

Some couples in open marriages report high levels of satisfaction with their relationships. A study conducted by Wolf found that 76 percent of couples in open marriages described the quality of their relationships as "better than average" or "outstanding".<ref name="Wolf, 1985">{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Timothy J. |title=Bisexualities: theory and research |publisher=Haworth Press |year=1985 |isbn=9780866564236 |editor-last=Klein |editor-first=Fred |location=New York |pages=135–148 |chapter=Men in marriages. Marriages of bisexual men |editor-last2=Wolf |editor-first2=Timothy J.}}</ref> Dixon found similarly high levels of marital satisfaction in a study of 100 bisexual and heterosexual husbands in open marriages.<ref name="Dixon, D, 1985">{{Cite book |last=Dixon |first=Dwight |title=Bisexualities: theory and research |publisher=Haworth Press |year=1985 |isbn=9780866564236 |editor-last=Klein |editor-first=Fred |location=New York |pages=209–222 |chapter=Perceived sexual satisfaction and marital happiness of bisexual and heterosexual swinging husbands |editor-last2=Wolf |editor-first2=Timothy J.}}</ref> In another study, Dixon observed that 80 percent of wives in open marriages rated their marital compatibility as "excellent" or "good", and 76 percent of the wives rated their sexual satisfaction as "excellent" or "good".<ref name="Dixon, JK, 1985">{{Cite book |last=Dixon |first=Joan K. |title=Bisexualities: theory and research |publisher=Haworth Press |year=1985 |isbn=9780866564236 |editor-last=Klein |editor-first=Fred |location=New York |pages=115–133 |chapter=Sexuality and relationship changes in married females following the commencement of bisexual activity |editor-last2=Wolf |editor-first2=Timothy J.}}</ref> Buunk has also reported high levels of satisfaction in couples in open marriages.<ref name="Buunk, 1980">{{Cite journal |last=Buunk |first=Bram |date=February 1980 |title=Extramarital sex in the Netherlands: Motivations in social and marital context |journal=Alternative Lifestyles |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=3 |issue=1 |pages=11–39 |doi=10.1007/BF01083027 |s2cid=140789761}}</ref> 
 
Some couples feel open marriage has increased their marital satisfaction. Bergstrand and Williams collected online questionnaires from 1092 people involved in swinging style open marriages.<ref name="Bergstrand, Williams, 2000" /> 
Among those people who said they were "somewhat unhappy" or "unhappy" with their marriages before swinging, around 80–90 percent said they were happier with their marriages after they started swinging. Nearly half of people who said they were "very happy" with their marriages before swinging claimed to be even happier with their marriages after swinging. Open marriage can in some cases increase marital satisfaction.

===Neutral outcomes===
Couples sometimes drop out of the open marriage lifestyle and return to sexual monogamy. In a five-year study of bisexuals, 80 percent of whom initially had open relationships, [[Martin S. Weinberg|Martin Weinberg]], [[Colin J. Williams]], and [[Douglas Pryor]] observed a definite shift towards sexual monogamy over time.<ref name="Weinberg, Williams, Pryor, 1995">{{Cite book |last1=Weinberg |first1=Martin S. |url=https://archive.org/details/dualattractionun00wein |title=Dual attraction: understanding bisexuality |last2=Williams |first2=Colin J. |last3=Pryor |first3=Douglas W. |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1995 |isbn=9780195098419 |location=New York |url-access=registration}}</ref> When first interviewed, a majority of these bisexuals preferred sexual non-monogamy as their ideal form of romantic relationships. Five years later, around 60 percent had changed their views, and most of those who changed their views said sexual monogamy was their new ideal. Some of these changes were motivated by the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. Monogamy was seen as a way to avoid getting HIV/AIDS. But, for many, the shift to monogamy was due to a genuine change in what they sought in relationships. Their desire to be sexually monogamous had nothing to do with the AIDS epidemic.

Couples who try open marriages and decide to return to sexually monogamous marriages may be left with different feelings about open marriage. Some may have negative feelings about their open marriage experiences.<ref name="Gates, 2002">{{Cite book |last=Gates |first=Jennifer |title=Survivors of an open marriage |publisher=KiwE Publishing Ltd. |year=2001 |isbn=9781931195188 |location=Spokane, Washington}}</ref> Others may continue to "see nonmonogamy as possibly good for others but not for themselves".<ref name="Weinberg, Williams, Pryor, 1995" /> Overall, open marriage has a relatively neutral impact on these couples.  Rubin and Adams did not observe any difference in the risk of divorce for couples in open marriages and couples in sexually monogamous marriages.<ref name="Rubin, Adams, 1986" />

===Negative outcomes===
Couples in open marriages expose themselves to the potential for conflicts caused by jealousy. Studies have shown that 80 percent or more of couples in open marriages experience jealousy over their extramarital relationships.<ref name="Buunk, 1981">{{Cite journal |last=Buunk |first=Bram |date=August 1981 |title=Jealousy in sexually open marriages |journal=Alternative Lifestyles |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=357–372 |doi=10.1007/BF01257944 |s2cid=198498499}}</ref><ref name="Ramey, 1975">{{Cite journal |last=Ramey |first=James W. |date=October 1975 |title=Intimate groups and networks: Frequent consequence of sexually open marriage |journal=The Family Coordinator |publisher=[[American Psychological Association|APA]] via [[PsycNET]] |volume=24 |issue=4 |pages=515–530 |doi=10.2307/583035 |jstor=583035}}</ref> Jealousy with its roots in open marriage can lead to serious conflicts. For example, attempting to interfere with a rival relationship may make a partner angry. Insulting or berating a partner may provoke retaliatory responses. Demanding greater commitment may ignite arguments. Indeed, many studies have reported that conflict occurs during episodes of jealousy.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=White |first1=Gregory L. |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780898623857 |title=Jealousy: theory, research, and clinical strategies |last2=Mullen |first2=Paul E. |publisher=Guilford Press |year=1989 |isbn=9780898625325 |location=New York, N.Y |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bryson |first=Jeff B. |title=The psychology of jealousy and envy |publisher=Guilford Press |year=1991 |isbn=9780898625554 |editor-last=Salovey |editor-first=Peter |location=New York |pages=1–45 |chapter=Modes of response to jealousy-evoking situations}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Buunk |first=Bram P. |title=The psychology of jealousy and envy |publisher=Guilford Press |year=1991 |isbn=9780898625554 |editor-last=Salovey |editor-first=Peter |location=New York |pages=148–177 |chapter=Jealousy in close relationships: an exchange-theoretical perspective}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Guerrero |first1=Laura K. |title=The dark side of close relationships |last2=Andersen |first2=Peter A. |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1998 |isbn=9781410601117 |editor-last=Cupach |editor-first=William R. |location=Hoboken |pages=33–70 |chapter=The dark side of jealousy and envy: desire, delusion, desperation, and destructive communication |editor-last2=Spitzberg |editor-first2=Brian H.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hansen |first=Gary L. |title=The psychology of jealousy and envy |publisher=Guilford Press |year=1991 |isbn=9780898625554 |editor-last=Salovey |editor-first=Peter |location=New York |pages=211–230 |chapter=Jealousy: its conceptualization, measurement, and integration with family stress theory}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Schaap |first1=Cas |title=Perspectives on marital interaction |last2=Buunk |first2=Bram |last3=Kerkstra |first3=Ada |publisher=Multilingual Matters |year=1988 |isbn=9780585175928 |editor-last=Noller |editor-first=Patricia |location=Clevedon, Avon, England |pages=203–244 |chapter=Marital conflict resolution |editor-last2=Fitzpatrick |editor-first2=Mary Anne |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qTIPiyGuQ6gC&pg=PA203}}</ref> The conflicts caused by jealousy can seem overwhelming and damage relationships.

Even when jealousy is not an overwhelming problem, open relationships may cause other complications. Numerous authors have argued that open marriages disrupt relationships by interfering with intimacy and provoking insecurities.<ref name="Hunt, 1974" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Levinger |first=George |title=Divorce and separation: context, causes, and consequences |publisher=Basic Books |year=1979 |isbn=9780465016822 |editor-last=Levinger |editor-first=George |location=New York |chapter=A social psychological perspective on marital dissolution |editor-last2=Moles |editor-first2=Oliver C. |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/divorceseparatio00teds}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bancroft |first=John |title=Human sexuality and its problems |publisher=Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier |year=2009 |isbn=9780443051616 |edition=3rd |location=Edinburgh New York}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Turner |first=Jeffrey S. |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofre0000turn |title=Encyclopedia of relationships across the lifespan |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1996 |isbn=9780313295768 |location=Westport, Connecticut |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Olds |first1=Jacqueline |title=Marriage in motion: the natural ebb and flow of lasting relationships |last2=Schwartz |first2=Richard S. |publisher=Perseus Pub |year=2002 |isbn=9780738208305 |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts}}</ref>

Some couples report that open marriage contributed to their divorces. Janus and Janus asked divorced people to list the one primary reason for their divorces.<ref name="Janus, Janus, 1993">{{Cite book |last1=Janus |first1=Sam S. |url=https://archive.org/details/janusreportonsex00janu |title=The Janus report on sexual behavior |last2=Janus |first2=Cynthia L. |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=1993 |isbn=9780471525400 |location=New York}}</ref> Approximately 1 percent of men and 2 percent of women listed open marriage as the primary reason for their divorce. This seems like a small percentage, but keep in mind that only 1 to 6 percent of the population have open marriages.<ref name="Hunt, 1974">{{Cite book |last=Hunt |first=Morton M. |url=https://archive.org/details/sexualbehaviorin0000hunt |title=Sexual behavior in the 1970s |publisher=[[Playboy Press]] |year=1974 |isbn=9780872233935 |location=Chicago, Illinois |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Jenks |first=Richard J. |date=October 1998 |title=Swinging: a review of the literature |journal=[[Archives of Sexual Behavior]] |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=27 |issue=5 |pages=507–521 |doi=10.1023/A:1018708730945 |pmid=9795730 |s2cid=5971960}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bartell |first=Gilbert D. |title=Group sex: an eyewitness report on the American way of swinging |publisher=New American Library |location=New York, NY |oclc=729322685}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Spanier |first1=Graham B. |last2=Cole |first2=Charles L. |date=March 1975 |title=Mate swapping: Perceptions, value orientations, and participation in a Midwestern community |journal=[[Archives of Sexual Behavior]] |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]] |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=143–159 |doi=10.1007/BF01541079 |pmid=1119933 |s2cid=35528363}}</ref> Open marriage is perceived as a primary cause of divorce in a substantial minority of the 1 to 6 percent of people who have open marriages.

The extent to which open marriage actually contributes to divorce remains uncertain. Blumstein and Schwartz note a slightly higher risk of divorce among couples who engage in extramarital sex, even if the couples agree to allow extramarital sex.<ref name="Blumstein, Schwartz, 1983">{{Cite book |last1=Blumstein |first1=Philip |title=American couples: money, work, sex |last2=Schwartz |first2=Pepper |publisher=William Morrow and Company |year=1985 |isbn=9780671523534 |location=New York, NY}}</ref>