Those Frubble Feelings
Learn about the definition of compersion and listen to a podcast by compersion scholar, Dr. Marie Thouin.
A long time ago, I learned that "frubble" was the feeling of joy experienced when you see someone else experiencing joy. Frubble was coined in the polyamorous community (I heard it on the PolyWeekly podcast), so it was directly related to when your partner is happy in another relationship. Coining new feeling terms is difficult business - and frubble got a public relations makeover.
It is now much better known as compersion.
Compersion is a fraught feeling in the open relationship community, as some people use it as an indicator for success, while others berate themselves for not feeling it at all. We will get into the complications of compersion later this month. For now, let's focus on defining what it is and how it has been studied.
Dr. Marie Thouin is a researcher, coach, and educator who focuses on the experience of compersion. She has been a guest on a number of podcasts to talk about compersion, and I highly recommend that you give her a listen.
You can find a list of her podcast appearances here. I highly recommend the Multiamory podcast, as well as Sex Out Loud, but they are all good options with little gems.
We will be talking more about compersion all month - send me any questions you would like me to address!
In curiosity,
Dr. S. Kay Webb
