8 Types Of Relationships You May Not Know Exist

When you say you’re “in a relationship” with someone, most people have a normative of understanding of what you’re referring to. That is, most people will assume it means that you’re romantically and intimately involved with a person of the opposite sex. But, in 2019, there’s far more than just one way to be “in a relationship” – and we’d bet that you probably haven’t heard of half of them. Keep reading to learn more about these 8 relationship types that you didn’t know existed.

POLYAMORY

Although people define this differently, the conventional meaning of polyamory is a relationship that is non-monogamous, where the partners involved can be with multiple other partners as long as they have consent. The underlining principle in this type of relationship is that people re capable of loving more than one individual at one time. As such, polyamory relationship can take the form of three people in a relationship together or tiered relationships where there are primary, secondary, and tertiary relationships.

 SUGAR DATING

If you’re too busy to take on the emotional side of a traditional relationship consider becoming a gay sugar daddy (or a straight one) or if you’re more interested in earning a bit of side income, a gay sugar baby might be a good option. A sugar relationship is a lot like a traditional one; the main difference is that there is usually some from of income from provided by the gay sugar daddy for the gay sugar baby.  The best places to meet gay sugar daddies are on a gay sugar baby app.  To be honest finding a gay sugar daddy as a gay sugar baby isn’t as easy as one would think –it’ll take a lot of work.   Gay sugar baby apps have a lot of competition so your work is cut out for yourself.

POLYGAMY

It sounds similar to a polyamorous relationship, but polygamy is different in that marriage is involved. Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse at one time. When a man takes more than one wife, this is called polygyny, and when a woman takes more than one husband it’s called polyandry.

OPEN

An open relationship is similar to a polyamorous one in that it’s a non-monogamous relationship wherein both partners are free to take other partners. What makes an open relationship different is that the people involved in the open relationship are emotionally committed to each other, and the secondary relationships are purely for physical relations. However, like polyamory, the rules can differ according to the partnership and, in some cases, partners are comfortable with secondary relationships being more than physical or casual.

SWINGING

Swinging is a practice that dates back more than 50 years. In this type of relationship, committed couples switch partners, typically for sexual reasons. Many swingers “swing” within a close-knit circle, which gives them variety in their sexual partnership but with some added layer of trust or intimacy. But, like all relationships, the rules vary from relationship to relationship.

SEXUAL

We’ve all heard of “friend with benefits” and that fits in the category of purely sexual relationships. These couplings are between two people who have no other connection outside of a sexual one.

REBOUND

One (potentially unhealthy) way to get over your ex? Date someone else and forget about them. It doesn’t always work out that well, bit the rebound relationship is something most of us have tried when all else fails. The rebound is characterized by one, or both, partners having jus gone through a breakup. They serve a purpose in helping heal the pain, to feel wanted, and to replace the intimacy so recently lost.

TOXIC

Unfortunately, the toxic relationship is another one too many of us know all too well. This is when there’s an undeniable attraction between partners, but their differences of opinion, values, morals, and the big things causes a lot of fighting and toxic behaviors. This is that couple that shouldn’t be together but can’t stay apart.

FINAL THOUGHTS

There is no such thing as a “normal” relationship any more… perhaps there never was. But today, society is becoming increasingly open to talking about the different ways we express love, intimacy, and pleasure in our relationships. Being in an open relationship or identifying as polyamorous is more acceptable than ever before, and the types of relationships we didn’t know existed are continuing to grow.