Open Relationships Are Good For Married Couples, Sociologist Argues (VIDEO)

WATCH: Sociologist Makes The Case For Open Marriages

Marriages are healthiest when husbands and wives allow themselves to have sex outside their union, a sociologist who studies sex and monogamy argued on HuffPost Live.

Eric Anderson, who authored the book "The Monogamy Gap: Men, Love, and the Reality of Cheating," told host Caitlyn Becker that his research shows that humans have a fundamental need to keep their sex lives fresh, which can mean seeking intimacy with someone other than their spouse.

"Cheating is a product of desiring sexual novelty, and that doesn't come through spicing up the sex another way with the same partner for year after year. That type of sexual novelty comes with a new body," Anderson said.

The sociologist asserts that a wandering eye can be viewed as a sign of a healthy long-term relationship, rather than a transgression.

"There's one thing we know about relationship sex -- the longer you're in a relationship, the less sex you're going to have," Anderson said. "Instead of recognizing that as a product of a failed relationship, we actually need to recognize that as a product of an improving relationship."

Check out the clip above to hear more from Anderson (and check out the full segment here), then click through the slideshow below for celebrity couples who are rumored to have open marriages.

Will Smith And Jada Pinkett Smith

5 Couples Rumored To Have Open Relationships

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