Is Swinging Bad for Your Mental Health?

Study finds swingers aren’t as happy as you may think

Every time I think about swingers, I always assume they’re some of the happiest people in the bedroom. And why not? They’re acting out their desires, always have variety in their sex lives, and have partners who are about as open sexually as you can get. So obviously, they’re thrilled with their lifestyle, right?

Not necessarily.

Although there may be some truth to my notion that swingers are blissfully getting it on in the bedroom, a study in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye. In fact, although swingers may seem to be having a good old time swinging off the chandelier every night, they may actually deal with mental health issues because of the stigma associated with their lifestyle.

“People in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways,” lead researcher Elizabeth Mahar explained in a statement. “Furthermore, this experienced stigma is associated with psychological distress.”

In a study of 372 people in consensually non-monogamous, or CNM, relationships, researchers found that 40 percent of them have experienced some stigma because of their lifestyle. Generally, this stigma has manifested itself in four ways:

• Expressed discomfort with or disapproval of the relationship
• Threatening behavior or loss of resources
• Diminished view of their character from other people
• Diminished view of the relationship from other people

“People in consensually non-monogamous relationships do indeed report experiencing stigma in a variety of ways.”

And what about the 60 percent of those who didn’t experience this kind of judgment? It’s likely because 70 percent of them have limited the number of people they disclose their lifestyle to in order to avoid this problem, which can be associated with a decline in mental health.

Like the types of stigma people in CNM relationships experience, the psychological distress they feel can manifest itself in multiple ways. In a second study, researchers asked 383 people in CNM relationships about their psychological well-being and participants reported their mental health was not only affected by the stigma they had experienced already, but also the stigma they fear will come in the future. In addition, the swingers also said they experienced internalized stigma because they felt a level of guilt from their relationship. As a result, Mahar says it’s important for people to understand the link between stigma and mental health so they can combat possible psychological distress.

“Gaining a better understanding of stigma and how it is linked to well-being will make it possible to develop and implement interventions to effectively mitigate the harmful effects of minority stress for consensually non-monogamous people,” she said.

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Sources:

People who practice consensual non-monogamy can face negative social stigma, new research finds. EurekAlert. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/974590

Swingers often face social stigmas that lead to worse mental health. Study Finds. https://studyfinds.org/swingers-social-stigmas-health/