No. Open relationships work for some couples, but I think they only work if the two people feel a very strong sense of connection with each other. If the marriage is in trouble, bringing others into it is not going to make the two people feel closer.

Also, a common scenario is the following: it's the husband who pushes for an open relationship. And when it finally happens, and he discovers that his wife is actually enjoying the sex she is having with other men, and is of course having more success finding partners than he has, he gets jealous!

I find the origin of the term "open marriage" interesting. A book by that title came out in the 1960's, and the title referred to openness of communication and emotional vulnerability. The book urged couples to move away from the stereotypical "1950's marriage" and consider a relationship in which the two parties really saw each other as partners and friends. Toward the end of the book, there is ONE paragraph in which the authors conjecture that with that kind of trust between the spouses, perhaps a marriage could even include other sexual partners. And while that was not what the authors meant by the title of the book and not what the book was about, that's what book reviewers jumped on, and the term stuck.

Which brings me back to my first paragraph above.

No it would end up destroying it. I can't imagine how a relationship like that could last. Trust and fidelity works better

No

But I will tell you what will
Cooperative effort

What is open relationship?

All marriages and relationships are "open". As they should be. Be together because you want to be together!

NO
I have known 3 couples who tried it and all 3 are divorced now.

It wouldnt work for me. I have met several women who have married a well off man and seem to caste a blind eye to what their husband gets up to. One woman told me that she doesn't mind her husband going on golfing holidays, nightclubs etc with the mostly single lads, as he works hard and pays for everything.and he always comes home to her.

No. My first ex tried to get me interested in threesomes with a man she knew (but I didn't) as a way to 'save' our relationship after I caught her cheating with the then neighbour (who she's now married to) but everything about it seemed wrong to me. That's the closest I'd ever got to any sort of 'open' or 'poly' type relationship experience.

Not save a relationship or marriage but if the relationship is already strong and both agree an open or cuckold relationship might enhance their relationship and it will make the wife or GF happy, and there is strong communication, it could further the closeness of the two partners …

Not something for me. I believe open relationships just ruin a good marriage and a good relationship. It's best to do what you can do. I want a girlfriend who isn't into open relationships.

Sure. Let's interject a 3rd person into an already shaky situation. What could go wrong

No an open relationship cannot save a relationship/marriage. It'll most likely create further distance.

Make or break.

IF you are first STARTING with a traditional marriage, and it is in a LOT of trouble, opening it UP to sex with outsiders will catapult the already struggling marriage into a horror show.

What people in struggling marriages NEED to do is go to counseling...a LOT...and return to each OTHER in every way possible.

If a relationship is set up that way, from the off, then I think it can be. Has worked in my case, but that's down to my career/job rather than any other sexual motive.

Certainly not for everyone.

SJD x

Open relationship as a marriage arrangement works for some people who already had that clearly laid out from the beginning.

Now, with the question of “saving” - there is a premise that the marriage is no longer working.

Giving permission for each of them to be happier somewhere else with someone else is not going to save that marriage.

Maybe they’d be content in what they’re getting from this set up and would be more agreeable to continuous cohabitation with the spouse/partner. All this is saving them is the cost of lawyers and splitting of properties, including their pots & pans.

So on paper, sure they are not separated. But in reality, they already are.

No, not a chance in hell

If there is no sex or inadequate sex in your marriage but you have children and want to stay together for their sake then maybe there's some way it could work but I doubt it. Better to not be married.

No, an open relationship will not draw a couple closer to each other.

No. Unless it's been open from the start.

If the marriage started out monogamous, then by the time the couple decide to open it, they're usually both already not in love anymore. Only staying together for kids or financial reasons.

It hasn’t saved mine. But we didn’t agree to it for the purpose of helping our marriage anyway. Come to think of it, I don’t even see how it could save a troubled marriage. 🤔

probably not

First of all, an open relationship is no relationship at all. It's just two selfish and immature people having sex with whoever they want, with no commitment. If a couple is in a normal relationship or marriage, and decide they want an open relationship, that will destroy it.

No, because what's to "save"? It's a marriage in name only. Legal fwb if you like.

Absolutely not! That’s what causes most divorces. It’s called an affair.

Kinda defeats the point of marriage imo,

I mean, marriage is basically a lockin contract...?

But meh, each to their own

No, not a real marriage. The top earner nerds to utterly humiliate you before leaving you. His needs are always what's most important! And no.

No open relationship needs to be open from the start my opinion

I know a few people claim it has... and for those that seriously don't mind sharing, then possibly, but most of them had open relationships to start with...

But even more people are lying to themselves, as they're still unhappy... and just delaying the death of their marriage and not actually improving it in a meaningful way.


If it needs saving, then I don't think opening it up will do that...

It seems that it work for some people
And seem to do it for only already solid relationships
They say that it frequently fail "saving" problematic ones.

Nothing I would want anyhow

My answer to this is:

“There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

In other words, I can't speak for everyone, but if it works, it works and I am not the one to judge it right or wrong, workable or not, etc.

No. If the relationship is over, it's over. No amount of last-ditch-poor-decision efforts are going to make much difference at all.

Quite the opposite. It’s a sure fire way to put the final nail in the coffin and live the single life that’s desired.

Things a cuck says

Nope

Nope

Nope if it is at that point you have past the point of no return

No

Save? No.

It can be an additional feature to the relationship, not a repair mechanism.

Not really if your having issues already this wont help

Ew

Nope...

That's BS excuse... What the hk is open relationship anyway.. Another fancy name for cheating, lack of ownership and acceptance accountability etc..

No if there's issues to begin with then you're on unstable ground. People need to be grounded for that to happen

Lol no. That just makes it worse.

Thats essentially breaking up just not on paper.

Absolutely not. The relationship needs to be stable before introducing elements like that.

No

No