Do open relationships work? What Indian couples are learning

There is a particular modern-world anxiety that clings to the idea of an open relationship: that it is either a sign of the evolution of a romantic equation or a prelude to collapse. In India, where the language of desire still struggles to keep pace with the reality of it, the question feels especially loaded: does opening a relationship save it, or simply delay its end? Or, more practically, does it just turn a two-person problem into a scheduling exercise to satiate their sexual and, sometimes, emotional cravings.

The numbers suggest we are, at the very least, willing to entertain the possibility of having an open relationship. A 2023 study by dating app Bumble found that nearly 60% of Indian singles are open to ethical non-monogamy, while a 2025–26 survey by Gleeden, the dating app for discreet encounters, in partnership with market research firm IPSOS, reported that 69% of Indians believe such arrangements are becoming socially acceptable. What, exactly, are we agreeing to, and who, precisely, has read the fine print.