In today's episode I spoke with Dr. Marianne Brandon, a clinical psychologist, sex therapist, and author. We spoke about Marianne's killer book Monogamy: The Untold Story (Sex, Love, and Psychology). In the book, Marianne takes us through the most common challenges of monogamy - but they're not inevitable! By understanding the usual ways in which sex drives in marriage get derailed - Marianne shows us how we can overcome these common pitfalls and keep the magic very much alive.

We continued to the topic of men and women's sex drives, and what couples can do to find a good balance between them. Marianne and I gave our thoughts on what women most often want and need within a relationship in order to feel safe, secure, and therefore sexual - and what their husbands can do about it. We also talked about the fact that men -- like feeling like men (*gasp*) -- and how what they most often need is to feel capable & appreciated in their intimate relationships.

We then went on to discuss the different forms of infidelity and the various ways in which couples cheat on each other. Marianne gave us the details on what she's seen - from gray areas like sexting, porn, and OnlyFans to more clear forms of cheating like hook-up apps for married people.

We spoke about the beauty of monogamy and why humans are built for pair-bonding and attachment, even though monogamous relationships have their challenges. We gave our thoughts on why polyamory eventually ends in disaster - even with the best of intentions - and why Marianne considers polyamory a last resort.

We then went on to speak about some of Marianne's most popular articles from her Psychology Today blog: 'The Future of Intimacy', where she talks about how modern couples can maintain a vital sex life, what to do if you're interested in sex but not with your partner, and how advances in sex tech - like VR porn and sex robots - are going to revolutionize the sexual marketplace.