Inspired by the culture’s latest cheating scandals, the girlies unpack monogamy as a social norm and explore what happens when we break the rules. They explore theories of mononormativity, investigate the psychological consequences of being cheated on, and try to answer a pressing question: why are we still attempting monogamy if people keep having affairs? Digressions include the NYC earthquake, kindhearted midwesterners, and one listener’s love of Hoop.
SOURCES:
Greater Wealth Inequality, Less Polygyny: Rethinking the Polygyny Threshold Model
Love Is Not a Permanent State of Enthusiasm: An Interview with Esther Perel
Once A Cheater, Always A Cheater? Marriage Therapists Weigh In
That’s Revolting! Queer Strategies for Resisting Assimilation
The Aftershocks of Infidelity: A Review of Infidelity-Based Attachment Trauma
Was That Cheating? Perceptions Vary by Sex, Attachment Anxiety, and Behavior