The Best Kind of Love Relationship

If you want a sexy, passionate and intense love relationship, then be monogamous.
That's the word from a nationwide survey of 1,000 men and women ages 25 to 65 conducted by Hearts On Fire, a diamond jewelry brand. A whopping 92 percent of both men and women share the belief that monogamy is sexy, and 83 percent agree that the best kind of relationship is a monogamous one that is passionate and intense.

But believing and doing are two different things.
While 87 percent aspire to monogamy, the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago found that as many as 21.3 percent of men and 12.5 percent of women have sexual relations outside of marriage. Could we blame that on Hollywood? Despite the fact that the word "monogamy" has been used in scripts on such hit shows as ABC's "Brothers and Sisters" and HBO's "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Entourage," fully three-quarters of those surveyed said Hollywood sets a bad example. Only 26 percent agreed that television shows portray committed relationships in a positive light.

What is monogamy?
It doesn't have to include marriage. Fully 62 percent said that monogamy is a relationship with one person at a time -- married or not, while a paltry 20 percent defined it as marriage with one person. Twelve percent said it is being faithful and passionate in a relationship, while 6 percent said it is being married to one person in a lifetime.

How can monogamy be nurtured?
The most important component of sustaining a healthy, long-lasting monogamous relationship is good communication, according to 57 percent of the respondents, followed by making time for each other (20 percent), compromise (13 percent), passion and intensity (5 percent) and a healthy sex life (5 percent).