In various cultures around the world people are able to engage in lifelong monogamous relationships. There are cultures, even here in the United States, that allow for non-monogamous relationships, and people in those cultures can live quite happily in those contexts.

Is it healthy to be in a monogamous relationship?

Monogamy is a relationship structure between two people that is romantically and sexually exclusive; that is, they don't engage in this type of relationship with anyone else. ... Both monogamy and nonmonogamy can yield healthy, happy relationships for those involved.

How successful is monogamy?

Monogamy Is No More Successful Than Polygamy, And Research That Shows Otherwise May Be Biased, Study Says. ... The new research says that consensually non-monogamous relationships, in which partners are aware that their mates have other sexual partners, are just as stable and functional as monogamous ones.