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Women's Experiences With Feelings and Attractions for Someone Outside their Primary Relationship

Margo Mullinax1, Katie Jo Barnhart2, Kristen Mark3

  • 1a HIV Center for Clinical and Behavioral Studies, Columbia University, New York , New York , USA , and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York , New York , USA.

Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy
|July 17, 2015
PubMed

The purpose of this article is to explore women's experiences with attractions and feelings for people outside their primary romantic relationship. In an anonymous Internet-based survey, 160 women answered open-ended questions about crushes. Women had varied experiences with, and diverse strategies for, managing crushes. The majority of women reported the crush did not impact their primary relationship; participants also reported that these crushes improved their desire for their partner. The majority of women in this sample did not communicate with their partners about their crushes. This research can be used by therapists and counselors working with patients experiencing these feelings.

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