Polyamory is one of those topics people pretend they’re above, right up until they’re alone with their phone. Then it’s “what is polyamory?,” “what is polyfidelity?,” and “how do I do this without setting my life on fire?”
A new report from the poly dating platform Sister Wives aims to gauge that curiosity by tracking search behavior among more than 15,000 of its users. The company says poly-related searches jumped 5,000% in the past 30 days. That kind of spike can mean a lot of things, including boredom, breakup season, and people using Google as a free therapist. It still signals one reality. Plenty of Americans are interested enough in open relationships to go looking for instructions.
There’s also polling to back up the bigger trend. YouGov has found roughly a third of Americans describe their ideal relationship as something other than complete monogamy. Not everyone wants a full polycule with a whole network of partners and all the logistics that come with it. Plenty of people land closer to “open, under specific conditions,” or “curious, but terrified.”
Sister Wives’ ranking focuses on states with the most interest based on its search analysis. The top 10 look like this:
- Texas
- California
- Florida
- Georgia
- New York
- Ohio
- North Carolina
- Michigan
- Pennsylvania
- Illinois
This isn’t a “best at polyamory” list. It’s a “most likely to look it up” list, and bigger states have more people to do the looking, plus more dating subcultures to join once they do.
The fantasy part sells itself. The logistics part decides whether it lasts. People do better when they set expectations early, keep consent ongoing, and talk through boundaries without dodging. Safer sex stays consistent, and everyone admits that time is limited.
A Quick List of Rules That Keep Poly From Falling Apart
- Get enthusiastic consent from everyone involved, every time.
- Put boundaries in words and revisit them when circumstances change.
- Agree on safer sex practices and stick to them.
- Plan time like it costs money, because it does.
- Say the hard thing early, before resentment starts writing the story.
Polyamory gets sold as nonstop excitement. The stable version tends to be honest, structured, and occasionally pretty unglamorous.
The post These 10 US States Are Really Into Polyamory appeared first on VICE.
