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People can experience both jealousy and compersion (joy in a partner's other relationships). Relationship structures and personal experience influence these emotions, with experience fostering more compersion and less jealousy.

Keywords:
Affective forecastingCompersionConsensual non-monogamyJealousyMonogamyPolyamory

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Relationship Science

Background:

  • Extradyadic romantic interests often evoke jealousy, a negative emotion tied to perceived relationship threats.
  • However, positive emotions like compersion, joy in a partner's other relationships, can also occur.
  • Compersion and jealousy are often treated as opposites, but research suggests a more complex relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine anticipated affective responses to a partner's extradyadic relations.
  • To assess if experience with a partner's extradyadic relations influences jealousy and compersion.
  • To explore the relationship between jealousy, compersion, and relationship satisfaction.

Main Methods:

  • Surveyed a large sample of polyamorous (N=3530) and monogamous (N=1358) individuals.
  • Utilized theories of jealousy, emotional ambivalence, and emotional forecasting.
  • Assessed anticipated affective responses to hypothetical scenarios and actual experiences.

Main Results:

  • Polyamorous individuals reported less jealousy and more compersion.
  • Personal experience with a partner's extradyadic interests predicted more compersion and less jealousy.
  • Experience increased compersion more in monogamous than polyamorous participants.
  • Anticipated compersion correlated with higher relationship satisfaction, unlike jealousy or ambivalence.

Conclusions:

  • Individuals experience both positive (compersion) and negative (jealousy) reactions to partners' extradyadic relations.
  • Both projected responses and actual experiences shape these emotions.
  • Real-life experiences are crucial for anticipating emotional responses in relationships.