The newly coined term describes people who are attracted not to individuals, but to the energy shared between couples.
For those whose “type” is established couples rather than single individuals, a new word has emerged to help define their sexuality: symbios**ual.
The term, introduced by sexuality researcher Dr. Sally W. Johnston, is being used within LGBTQ+ and non-monogamy communities to describe attraction to the dynamic of a couple or multi-partner relationship.
Instead of being drawn to a particular gender, symbios**uals are attracted to the energy, intimacy and multidimensionality shared between partners.
“Symbios**uality is the attraction to the relationship and/or energy shared between people,” Dr. Johnston explained in a study published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour.
“It is distinct from pluris**ualities such as bis**uality or pans**uality, as well as from an interest in relationship structures involving three or more people.”
The research was based on 2023’s Pleasure Study, which surveyed nearly 400 participants about their sexual and gender identity. Of those, 145 said they had felt attraction to couples rather than individuals.
Participants gave a wide range of reasons for their attraction.
Some said they were drawn to the “love and secure attachment” they observed between couples. Others were captivated by their aesthetic, how the two people “looked really cool together,” or how they played with gender roles.
“You feed off their energy, their attraction to each other,” one participant explained. “There’s an interplay between the couple.”
Another, named Eden, admitted: “I seek a lot of validation, and when there are multiple people like that, I feel like, oh, yes, yes, I’m doing things right.”
Relationship expert and psychology professor Wendy Walsh told USA Today that for many symbios**uals, it’s about “desiring to be desired.”
The research found that symbios**uals exist across age, gender, and ethnic groups, but noted that “more research is needed” to understand how attraction to relationships is shaped by cultural messages around sexuality.
The term has already been added to Orientation Wiki, alongside a flag symbol, to help those who identify this way feel represented.
And symbios**uality isn’t the only identity making headlines.
Recently, TikTok star Emily Skvarch came out as trigender, telling followers they identify as male, female and non-binary at the same time.
“I feel all three of these genders at the same time. All the time,” Skvarch said in a viral post that was met with widespread support.
Featured image credit: SHVETS production
