One open relationship is a kind of relationship where two people are involved but are "open" to possible physical involvement with other people.
In an open relationship, there is no sense of exclusivity, and the two people agree that they can relate to other people without it being regarded as betrayal or infidelity. This type of relationship is seen as an alternative to relationships based on monogamy, the most common type of relationship these days.
For many couples, an open relationship is a philosophy of life, a synonym for “free love”, which means that the people assume their relationship, but if they meet interesting people, they won't let the opportunity pass.
Contrary to what many people may think, an open relationship requires well-established rules and norms. These rules will differ depending on each couple, but at least some ground rules must exist. For example, some couples define that their partner can only get involved with another person when they are not together. They can also stipulate that they cannot get involved with each other's friends. A very important area within open relationships is health. A person must always protect themselves, especially when they have more than one partner, to avoid sexually transmitted diseases. Lies and omissions can cause a couple to lose trust. You shouldn't be in an open relationship if you can't be truthful about your involvement with someone else. To avoid lying, many of these couples avoid asking concrete questions.
Of course, there are people in favor and others against open relationships. People against claim that an open relationship is an act of promiscuity, no rules, no respect, where "nobody belongs to anybody". Many people believe that someone who truly loves could not be in a relationship like that. However, people in favor see an open relationship as a sincere relationship, with rules and commitment, assuming that in almost all monogamous relationships people would like to have the kind of freedom that an open relationship. offers. Many people in open relationships reject the comparison with simply "staying", arguing that staying is an attitude that does not reveal a sense of commitment, which happens in open relationships.
One of the most famous couples and one of the first to come to terms with their open relationship was Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, who were married for over 50 years until Sartre's death.