BlueSwede,

I feel that the accumulated values of a long-term relationship tip the scales away from a transient, or even several transient relationships. There is much attractive flesh out there, and some of it may be within reach. I think that those who stretch out their hand to grasp it run the risk of letting their plans, partner and perhaps children slip out of the other.

In strictly business terms, the liabilities, both emotional and financial, outweigh the potential benefits of enjoying an alternative to what you have enjoyed in the past. Sticking with the business model, perhaps it depends upon the level of investment the partners have made in the existing relationship. If both, or either, discounts the value of the other, it becomes easier to look for value elsewhere.

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Eudaimonia