What Is Compersion in Polyamory

May 3, 6:13 PM | By Chris

What is compersion in a poly relationship? This term refers to the feeling of joy when your partner has a good time with another person. It is the opposite of jealousy, which is important in relationships where both sides have multiple partners. In this article, we look at comparison in a bit more detail. We invite you to read on.

What Is Compersion in a Poly Relationship?

In basic terms, compersion in polyamory could be described as the opposite of jealousy, though it is not a 1:1 antonym. This is the feeling of happiness for your partner when they engage in romantic or sexual interactions with another person.

Why is compersion important in a poly relationship, whether it is polyamory or polygamy? Feeling jealous is natural in many situations in our lives, including romantic life. But, considering what polyamory is, it would be extremely difficult to cope with envy in such relationships. Compersion is what helps polyamorous people replace jealousy, making them more joyful about their partner’s lives and, hence, more satisfied with their own. Simply said, it’s a joy that is unrelated to your own joy.

How to Practice Compersion in a Polyamorous Relationship?

Practicing compersion helps become happier in different types of polyamorous relationships. Thus, it’s good to practice it and learn to enjoy your partner(s)’s romantic adventures. But how to do it? We’ve got a few tips for you!

• Understand your emotions – You need to know what you feel when your partner engages with other people. Realizing your feelings and their causes will help you become more compassionate.

• Work on your empathy – Some people are more empathetic than others, and that’s natural. But it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to develop this skill. If you really want to embrace compersion in your polyamorous relationship, you have to try to understand what your partner feels and resonate with their emotions.

• Reason through the emotions – Knowing how you feel and what emotions accompany your partner, you can apply logic to explain why you should be happy about your partner’s joy rather than experiencing jealousy.

• Support each other – As we mentioned before, jealousy is natural, and you won’t avoid feeling it. To embrace compersion in a polyamory, you and your partner(s) need to support and help each other go through jealousy together.

Compersion Is for More Than Just Poly Relationships

While we discuss compersion in polyamorous relationships, you can embrace it in any other aspect of your life. Did your friend just get a promotion? Do you feel happy about it? If yes, this is a perfect example of compersion in non-romantic situations. Therefore, it’s good to practice it even outside of your poly network.

Does Compersion Mean That I Won’t Feel Jealous?

No. While compersion lets you live a happier life, enjoying the successes and adventures of your partners and friends, it won’t help you avoid jealousy or envy. Why? Because they are natural feelings!

However, you can embrace compersion to deal with jealousy in polyamorous relationships. So, while it won’t make you avoid the unpleasant feelings, it will help you cope with them more quickly and effectively.

The Takeaway

Knowing what compersion is in a polyamorous relationship, you’re ready to start practicing it. This way, you’ll make your romantic life much more delightful and get rid of the negative impact of jealousy in your life. “Don’t be defeated by evil, but defeat evil with good.” – Romans 12:21.

Be sure to check out our poly dating site and join in the polyamorous community!