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Monogamy is rare in the animal kingdom. Perhaps it's our "higher intelligence" that allows us to make a conscious choice to be or not to be monogamous. Who knows what compels us to search for our "soul mate?" Then, do you know when you've found that person?

You might be interested in this July 2002 radio interview with Anne Hollonds: The Myths of Monogamy.

Preface:

19th century author Alexandre Dumas sagely opined that "the chains of marriage are so heavy that it takes two to bear them - and sometimes three". But Dumas was no radical: it seems that monogamy has never been the norm for human societies. Or at least, that's the view of David Barash and Judith Lipton, authors of a new book entitled "The Myth of Monogamy". They argue that our evolutionary biology leans heavily in favour of multiple sexual partnerships, and that there's something distinctly unnatural about our moral predilection for one lifelong mate.