From Zendaya in Challengers to the plays of Shakespeare, love triangles in various configurations have long been a staple of romance.
Scientists are now convinced that some of these famous throups may be an entirely new form of sexual attraction.
A new study from researchers at Seattle University finds that “symbiosexual” people are attracted to the energy between existing couples, rather than the individuals themselves.
A significant number of study participants reported feeling sexually and romantically attracted to a “third force” or “synergy” between a couple’s existing partners.
Dr Sally Johnston, associate professor of anthropology and sociology who conducted the research, says: ‘We need to rethink the nature of human attraction and desire as purely one-on-one experiences.’
Researchers say gangs like those in the 2024 film Challengers (pictured) could represent a new and previously unstudied form of sexual attraction
It may seem like sexual and romantic attraction is something that happens between two people, no matter who you are attracted to.
In research conducted in the Archives of sexual behaviorDr. Johnston argues that this is not necessarily the case.
She first encountered this phenomenon while researching the treatment of “unicorns” within polyamorous communities.
A ‘unicorn’ is a term most often used to describe a bisexual woman who is willing to enter into a relationship with a heterosexual couple.
While Dr. Johnston found that so-called unicorns were often mistreated, objectified, and excluded, she also noticed an interesting trait in their relationships.
Researchers say some people are attracted to the “energy” or “third force” between members of an existing couple rather than the individual members themselves (stock image)
One of the most famous love triangles was that of ‘Tiger King’ Joseph Allen Maldonado, who married John Finlay and Travis Maldonado in a triple ceremony in 2014
Dr. Johnston said PsyPost: ‘As a member of the polyamorous community, I’ve heard people talk openly about their attraction to committed couples.
‘I wanted to learn more about this little-explored attraction.’
In this study, Dr. Johnston used data from The Pleasure Study, in which 373 participants were surveyed about aspects of their sexual and gender identity.
Of the participants, 145 indicated that they were attracted to two people and their relationship.
Although this figure seems high, it should be noted that the sample size is small and the study participants are not representative of the broader population.
The sample is largely white, middle-class, college graduates. More than 90 percent identify as queer, and 87.5 percent say they are polyamorous.
The researchers say they first encountered this phenomenon when studying bisexual individuals who entered into relationships with heterosexual couples like Kate Micucci’s character (pictured) in the Netflix series Easy, starring Orlando Bloom and Malin Åkerman.
Yet in interviews with 34 of these participants, Dr. Johnston claims to have found consistent evidence of a previously unexplored sexuality.
She says, “There is a diverse group of people who experience symbiosexual attraction, an attraction to the energy, multidimensionality, and power that people share in relationships.”
This is a specific form of attraction, similar to the person-to-person attraction present in some polyamorous relationships.
In the films Challengers and Professor Marston And The Wonder Women, for example, it is the mutual attraction between the three people that forms the basis of the relationship.
However, many of those interviewed indicated that they were attracted to the energy and dynamic between the members of an existing couple, rather than the individuals.
Of those surveyed, 35 percent said they felt this attraction sometimes or often, while 51 percent said they had felt this attraction a few times.
Of those, 35 percent said they had been attracted to a committed couple sometimes or often, while more than half said they had experienced this attraction “a few times.”
This is a distinct form of attraction in polyamorous relationships where all partners are attracted to each other, as seen in the 2017 film Professor Marston And The Wonder Women.
One of the participants, Hayden, said in an interview that she was attracted to couples because of “their connectedness.”
Haden added: “You feed off their energy, their attraction to each other… there’s an interplay between the couple.”
Another participant, identified only as Sage, said, “I just want to be in the middle of that relationship too. I would love to be involved in this relationship too… I really think my ideal dynamic would be me and a couple.”
When asked what characteristics might explain their attraction, symbiosexual people responded that they are extroverted, want a lot of intimacy, care and attention, and are less likely to be jealous.
Films such as Cabaret (pictured) have popularised the idea of ’throuples’, relationships between three people, but Dr Johnston says symbiosexual attraction has been under-researched
One of the participants, Eden, said, “I have a strong need to be desired and I seek a lot of validation, a lot of affirmation. And when there are more people like that, I think, oh yeah, yeah, I’m doing it right.”
Additionally, some participants explained their attraction by referring to their “sexual openness and queerness,” indicating that they were more attracted to queer and non-heterosexual couples.
Dr. Johnston says more research is needed to determine the prevalence of this sexual orientation among the general public.
In addition, more research is needed into how symbiosexual attraction influences people’s mental health and relationship satisfaction.
Dr. Johnston says, “I am conducting a follow-up study examining sexual and romantic experiences in couples who experience symbiosexual attraction.
“I hope this work will reduce stigma in both monogamous and non-monogamous communities and broaden the conceptualization of desire in sexuality studies.”