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Is Monogamy in Our Nature?
September 2010 | Cafe Chat Discussion Materials
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“Couples who turn to a therapist for guidance through the inevitable minefields of marriage are likely to receive the confusing message that long-term pair bonding comes naturally to our species, but marriage is still a lot of work. This is a problem because there is no reason to believe monogamy comes naturally to human beings. In fact, for millions of years, evolutionary forces have cultivated human libido to the point where ours is arguably the most sexual species on Earth.”
Questions for Consideration: Why is monogamy considered natural for our species? How is humanity different from or the same as the rest of the animal kingdom with respect to sexual practices? What do these differences or similarities say about the naturalness of monogamy? What do you think about relationships that are not monogamous – where partners can have multiple intimate or casual partners? Is monogamy the natural order of things? Or is it possible that other political, social and cultural factors play a role in determining human sexual behavior?
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