At its core, solo polyamory refers to people who are open to dating or engaging in multiple meaningful relationships without having a 'primary partner': one person to whom they're committed above all other partners.
What is the difference between polyamory and open relationships? In an open relationship, you're free to have sex with other people but stay emotionally committed to only one primary partner. In a polyamorous relationship, you're committed to loving multiple partners equally.
(The term "polyamory" comes from the Greek word "poly," which means many, and the Latin word "amory," which means love.) Note that polyamory simply means you're open to the idea of loving more than one person; a person with one partner can still be polyamorous.
“Solo polyamory is a form of ethical non-monogamy practiced by individuals who enjoy multiple romantic and/or sexual relationships at the same time, and who still want to maintain an independent or 'single' lifestyle,” says Alice Child, certified somatic sexologist and founder of Vulva Dialogues.
Polyamory is a form of ethical non-monogamy that involves committed relationships between two or more people — typically romantic relationships. Essentially, being in a polyamorous relationship means that you and your partner have the option of dating other people. Polyamory is not the same as polygamy.
Like other mixed-orientation relationships, poly/mono or mono/poly relationships include people with differing identities or practices—in this case, one monogamist who is sexually exclusive with one partner, and one polyamorist who has or is seeking multiple partners with the knowledge and consent of all concerned.
Polyamory, or having multiple romantic relationships at once, is becoming more visible and accepted. Figuring out whether you're polyamorous or not can be challenging because society normalizes monogamy. If you've felt trapped in monogamous relationships or had feelings for multiple people at once, you might be polyam.
“The relationship escalator is the societal assumption that if you get into a relationship, you have to complete certain steps in order to ensure that the relationship is serious or valid or recognized in some way,” says non-monogamy educator Leanne Yau, founder of Poly Philia.
Nesting Partner: Partner you live with and likely share bills with - can be a "primary partner," but not necessarily. Anchor Partner: Partner you probably have logistical ties with, most likely live with, perhaps have the deepest or longest term emotional ties with - sometimes called "primary partner"
Quad. A quad relationship involves four people who are all connected. All four people who participate in a quad polyamorous relationship are dating each other. All four individuals are all romantically tied to one another.
Kitchen Table Polyamory (KTP) refers to 'a style of polyamorous relationship in which the interrelationship of a network, and the integration of multiple romantic relationships into one life or group, is prioritised,' explains Jordan Dixon, a clinical sex and relationships psychotherapist.
Other researchers like Fleckenstein and Cox found that most polyamorous people maintain two or at the most three partnerships simultaneously.
Polyamory is also not a type of sexual orientation or gender identity. However, people of all orientations and identities may participate in polyamorous relationships, including those who are straight, gay, bisexual, lesbian, transgender, nonbinary, or pansexual.
Some polyamorous relationships become “closed” and members engage in “polyfidelity.” This is when all members of a poly relationship agree not to seek romantic or sexual connections outside of the established relationship structure.
Swinging is generally considered to be purely sexual–although of course sometimes swinging partners develop strong romantic feelings, and sometimes this leads to the development of a polyamorous relationship.
It's clear that more and more people are rejecting social conventions around love and relationships and embodying a more fluid approach to dating – and that includes openly polyamorous celebs like Willow Smith and Bella Thorne, as well as rumoured polyamorous celebs like Rita Ora, Taika Waititi and Tessa Thompson.
A relationship among three people is often called a triad, threesome, or throuple; among four people a quad or foursome. Sometimes all groupings of three or more are called moresomes.
In hierarchical polyamory, certain partners are considered to have priority over others. A person might have a “primary” partner and a “secondary” or even “tertiary” partner or partners. A primary partner is generally the partner one spends most of their time with, and may even live with or be married to.
Unicorn polyamory (aka unicorn poly) is the term for when two people who are in a relationship (typically a heterosexual couple of one man and one woman) add a third party to the relationship. This partner is usually a bisexual woman, though they could also be a bisexual man or a nonbinary person.
The magic figure turns out to be 37 percent. To have the highest chance of picking the very best suitor, you should date and reject the first 37 percent of your total group of lifetime suitors. (If you're into math, it's actually 1/e, which comes out to 0.368, or 36.8 percent.)
But in a nascent romantic relationship, a toothbrush can double as a flashlight; illuminating deeper feelings about a potential partner. It could be a promise or a threat. Starting to keep a toothbrush at another person's home is, in most cases, a way of planting a flag and setting course for a blooming LTR.
What is 'Pocketing' in a relationship? Just like the name sounds, the practice refers to someone hiding you from others when it comes to your relationship. 'Pocketing', or 'Stashing' is when someone you're dating hides you from their friends and family and is, unsurprisingly, a very toxic practice.
Polyamorous people are in a particularly tricky situation because we experience relationships in a different way to the status quo. Contrary to what many people think, polyamorous people can definitely get jealous.
In the vast majority of polyamorous relationships, jealousy does come up at some point. However, jealousy can be broken down to determine what your real concerns are. When you recognize what is bothering you, it is possible to manage this challenging feeling.
Polyamorous people who have recently gotten out of a serious partnership may practice solo polyamory for a time. This means that they do not currently have a partner but still identify as polyamorous.