“Symbiosexual” people are attracted to the energy shared between couples

The more the better.

A recent study conducted by researchers at Seattle University revealed a new sexuality called “symbiosexual.” According to a recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, it is described as “an attraction to the energy, multidimensionality, and power shared between people in relationships.”

A person who identifies with this feeling connects with the energy shared between an existing couple. The study found that a large group of participants felt romantic and sexual attraction to the “synergy” of a third person.

This dynamic is often seen in television shows and movies like “Tiger King,” “Gossip Girl” and “Challengers,” which feature a love triangle between actors Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O'Connor.

Dr. Sally Johnston, associate professor of anthropology and sociology who conducted the study, believes there is more to sexuality than we know.

“We need to rethink the nature of human attraction and desire as purely individual experiences,” she said.

Johnson delved into research to understand the concept of “unicorns” in polyamorous relationships.

A unicorn is “someone who engages in sexual activity with a couple but does not participate in other aspects of the relationship,” explains VeryWellMind.

Despite the sexual benefits, Johnson noted that the third party in these relationships is mistreated and made the object of discrimination.

She noticed these signs based on data from the “Pleasure Study,” in which 373 participants were surveyed about their sexual and gender identity.

The results were mostly skewed and affected white, middle-class college graduates. Over 90 percent of them identified as queer and 87.5 percent said they were polyamorous.

“There is a diverse population that experiences symbiosexual attraction, an attraction through the energy, multidimensionality and power that people share in relationships,” Johnson added.

She found that there were 145 reports from participants who expressed that they were attracted to couples rather than to individuals in the relationship.

Hayden, a participant in the study, admitted that she found the “cohesion” within couples attractive.

“You feed off their energy, their mutual attraction… there is an interplay between the couple,” she revealed.

Another respondent named Saged stated that symbiosexuality was attractive to her.

“I also just want to be in the middle of this relationship. I also want to be included in this relationship… I really think my ideal dynamic would be myself and a couple,” Sage said.

Most symbiosexuals are considered extroverted, desire a lot of intimacy, care and attention and are less prone to jealousy.

Eden, who also identifies as a symbiosexual and participated in the survey, shared her thoughts on emerging sexuality.

“I have this desire to be desired and I look for a lot of validation, a lot of validation, and when there are several people like that, I think to myself, oh yes, yes, I'm doing everything right,” Eden confessed.

Some participants who consider themselves queer and sexually open reported being primarily attracted to queer and non-heterosexual couples.

In the meantime, as research progresses, Johnson plans to explore relationship dynamics more deeply for the general public to gain a better understanding of this evolving sexual identity as it relates to mental health and relationship satisfaction.

“I hope this work will reduce stigma in both monogamous and non-monogamous communities and expand the conceptualization of desire in sex research,” she added.