ABSTRACT
The Stranger sex survey revealed that while men overall had lower preferences for monogamy than women, gay men were the most nonmonogamous of any group and lesbians were more nonmonogamous than heterosexual women. As a group, swingers tend to be more conservative than, for example, those who practice polyamory. Swinging is a less complicated nonmonogamous lifestyle than polyamory, primarily because romantic relationships are not part of the arrangement. Consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) is time-consuming, not only because the nonmonogamous person is balancing time with multiple partners as well as work, home life, children, etc., but also because CNM requires lots of communication, which requires time. Monogamy is so deeply ingrained in the culture that it is often difficult for therapists to put aside these biases and treat people involved in consensually nonmonogamous relationships objectively. But contact with this community broadens the understanding of relationships.
