Threesomes are a positive experience when with romantic partner, study suggests

A recent study has found that threesomes can have a positive experience on those in a relationship.

The study – conducted by Archives of Sexual Behavior – found that couples who took part in threesomes generally had a positive experience.

However, they found that threesomes typically tend to be more enjoyable for men over women and for couples in committed relationships compared to casual partners.

Ashley E. Thompson an associate professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth conducted the study.

The professor, who is also the director of the Sexuality and Relationship Science Lab, said: "My primary research program is designed to investigate ‘all things monogamy,’ primarily monogamy negotiations, violations, and alternatives."

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Explaining her reasoning for the study she said: "My previous work on this topic has revealed that threesomes may be an ideal way for folks to explore their sexual identity as well as alternatives to traditional monogamy in a stigma-reduced environment (as compared to other consensually nonmonogamous behaviors; i.e., swinging)."

The study was made up of 276 heterosexual couples, 217 males and 59 females. Participants answered a survey about their most recent mixed-sex threesome.

Each participant indicated their relationship with each partner, the sex of each partner, and whether they had achieved an orgasm during the experience.

They also rated the experience and whether or not they would repeat the experience with these partners again.

The overall response was that the threesome was a positive experience, with most participants stating they would consider repeating the experience.

However, the research also revealed that men were more likely to repeat the experience than women.

A total of 87.8 percent indicated that they also achieved an orgasm during the experience.

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But again, men were more likely to experience an orgasm during the threesome, than women.

While the research concluded that the threesomes can be a positive experience, Thompson noted the limitations of her study.

The researcher said: "This study relied on retrospective accounts of one’s most recent threesome experience, which may have introduced some level of recall bias.

"Although we attempted to minimise the impact of recall bias by having participants report on 'their most recent MST', research indicates that adults’ ability to recall memories is often subject to inaccuracies caused by telescoping (i.e., assigning thoughts and feelings that occurred before or after an experience to that experience)."

The study author suggested that those who signed up for the study were more likely to be people who had positive experiences with threesomes, which would suggest a possible bias in the results.

Thompson also pointed out that the study sample was limited to cisgender, heterosexual adults and further research would be needed to extend the findings to other sexualities and gender identities.

“Moving forward, I would love to adopt more innovative recruitment methods to invite a representative sample to participate in a daily diary study in which adults are asked to reflect on their threesome experience(s) immediately after engaging,” she said.