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Sexuality Leads to Boosts in Mood and Meaning in Life With No Evidence for the Reverse Direction: A Daily Diary Investigation
Abstract
Sex is rarely discussed in theories of well-being and rarely empirically examined using methods other than cross-sectional surveys. In the present study, a daily diary approach was used (for 21 days with 152 adults) to explore the relationship between the presence and quality of sexual episodes and well-being (positive affect, negative affect, meaning in life). Time-lagged analyses demonstrated that sexual activity on 1 day was related to greater well-being the next. As for the quality of episodes, higher reported sexual pleasure and intimacy predicted greater positive affect and lower negative affect the following day. When the reverse direction was tested, well-being did not predict next-day sexual activity, pleasure, or intimacy. These results suggest a unidirectional relationship in which the presence and quality of sexual activity lead to gains in well-being the following day. Contextual moderators (gender, relationship status, relationship closeness, and relationship length) allowed for tests of conditions altering the link between sexuality and well-being. Relationship closeness was the most robust moderator in predicting greater levels of meaning in life and positive affect following sexual episodes. These data provide evidence to support the continual consideration of sex in empirical work and theoretical models of elements that comprise healthy relationships and a good life.
... Daily situational events certainly have an impact on the meaning-making process, however few studies investigated their role as exogenous factors. Among the types of events most investigated there are social and relational episodes (e.g., Kashdan et al., 2018;Kiang, 2012; and events related to life-achievement (e.g. . At a cross-sectional level, research on life events and meaning in life tends to overemphasize negative events (e.g., Krause, 2007;Park, 2010), while from the reviewed studies, it appears that mundane experiences and positive events have been the most explored at the daily level. ...
... The last of dynamic effect that I considered was the temporal influence over time. When the theoretical knowledge allowed for specific hypotheses regarding causal influences, a specific lagged effect was examined where the perception of other constructs (i.e., spirituality inKashdan & Nezlek, 2012; daily rumination and reflection inNewman & Nezlek, 2019) or the occurrence of situational events (i.e., sexual episodes inKashdan et al., 2018) on a given day were tested as predictors of the perception of meaning in ...
... The occurrence of daily events was found to be associated with daily fluctuations of meaning in life at the within-level. For instance,Kashdan et al. (2018) found that individuals who lived a sexual episode in one day experienced an increased meaning in life in the next day.Kiang (2012) examined if daily experiences and events within family, school, and extracurricular domains were related to adolescents' daily feelings of purpose in life and found a positive concurrent association between daily purpose and relational events related to family assistance and social fulfillment. Allan (2013) focused on the Thanksgiving holidays and found that the perception of life meaningfulness among undergraduate students didn't change compared to working days.Steger et al. (2007) found that the daily experience of eudaimonic behaviors, such as volunteering, express gratitude, listen to others point of view, had a positive impact on meaning in life on the same day and the next day. ...
This doctoral thesis aims to open a reflection on how to measure dynamics of change of psychological processes by presenting an application of the complexity framework to the meaning-making process. The first chapter fronts the challenge of how to conceptualize the meaning-making process, by conducting a systematic review of the literature that led toward the formulation of a new integrated conceptual definition of meaning-making. The second chapter presents the development of a new self-report measure of meaning in life (SMILE; situational meaning in life evaluation) that has been validated in a national representative sample and in a sample of emerging and young adults. The third chapter deals with the challenge of how to investigate the dynamics of change of the meaning-making process in the daily life by applying two state-of-the-art data analysis approaches, the Dynamic Structural Equation Models (DSEM) and the Multilevel Network Psychometric approach. Data from emerging and young adults were collected with a measurement burst design made of two daily diary studies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The role of individual factors (transitive condition in love and work), situational factors (positive vs negative events), and contextual factors (pandemic) as activators of the meaning-making process has also been investigated.
... On a daily level, diary studies have indicated that negative affect, such as sadness, distress, and anxiety, is higher on days when participants experience relatively more negative romantic relationship events (e.g., conflict with partner, stressful interactions), and this has been found among adolescents (Rogers et al., 2018) and married adults (Bolger & Schilling, 1991). Similarly, positive sexual interactions (i.e., pleasurable and intimate) with a romantic partner have been associated with higher positive affect and lower negative affect the following day (Kashdan et al., 2018), also indicating lingering changes in affect following specific romantic events. ...
... Negative romantic events were not common (averaging just over 1 per person), yet they were powerful predictors of changes in affect, related to immediate and prolonged decreases in positive affect as well as increases in negative affect. This aligns with previous research indicating that positive relationship events such as intimate moments or sexual experiences are associated with higher positive affect (Kashdan et al., 2018;Luginbuehl & Schoebi, 2019), and that negative relationship events such as conflict or maladaptive conflict behaviors are associated with lower positive and higher negative affect (Bolger & Schilling, 1991;Laurent et al., 2009;Luginbuehl & Schoebi, 2019). ...
... The models also accounted for day-level variance (Bolger & Laurenceau, 2013) and number of events experienced across that day. Findings thus echo previous associations between day-level fluctuations in affect and specific types of romantic events (Bolger & Schilling, 1991;Kashdan et al., 2018;Laurent et al., 2009;Rogers et al., 2018), while also suggesting that moment-level associations may be more informative than day-level associations when it comes to predicting affect throughout daily life. ...
Given that affect is highly responsive to experiences representing current goals and values, and young adulthood reflects a period in which romantic relationships become increasingly important, this study explored the links between everyday romantic relationship events and momentary affect among young adult college students. Romantic events were then directly compared to academic and family events-two other salient life domains for these students-as predictors of current and subsequent momentary affect. Drawn from an ecological momentary sampling study designed to assess substance use, participants in dating relationships (N = 130) completed four reports per day for 28 days (totaling 10,318 reports). Multilevel models tested within-person associations between positive and negative romantic events (broadly defined) as predictors of positive (e.g., happy, excited) and negative (e.g., sad, lonely) affect in the moment and beyond. Analyses included both event occurrence and event intensity models, facilitating event comparison. Models accounted for day-level effects and several relevant individual and relationship controls. Results indicated that positive romantic events were associated with immediate and lasting increases in positive affect and immediate (but not always lasting) decreases in negative affect, whereas negative romantic events were associated with immediate and lasting changes in both positive and negative affect. When significant, direct comparisons indicated that romantic events were associated with larger changes in concurrent and subsequent affect than academic or family events. Findings highlight the powerful role that young adults' romantic relationships play in their emotional well-being, particularly in comparison to other developmentally and environmentally salient life domains. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
... From a social evolutionary perspective, individuals have a psychosocial meter that helps them track changes in their social groups and gauges inclusion (Kashdan et al., 2018;Leary, 2005). For individuals who gauge their group inclusion as low, they will attempt to increase their inclusion by engaging in corrective actions, for example, talking more or less. ...
... This means that individuals who are sexually satisfied should experience an increase in stressreducing hormones (opioids, oxytocin, and dopamine) and a decrease of the stress hormone (cortisol; Agmo & Berenfeld, 1990;Exton et al., 2001). This should lead to increased positive moods, which have been shown to positively influence life meaning and wellbeing (Kashdan et al., 2018;Yardley & Rice, 1991). ...
... Lack shows that some of those resources, such as time, self-esteem, positive mood, social class and others, can be relevant to sexual satisfaction (Haavio-Mannila & Kontula, 1997;Janssen et al., 2013;Koukounas & McCabe, 2001;Lin & Lin, 2018). In other words, resources that are available to individuals that experience work-life balance, such as personal time, exercise routines, or healthy sexual habits, can facilitate sexual satisfaction (Frederickson, 2004;Kashdan et al., 2018;Kavanagh et al., 2010). In sum, as suggested by the COR theory, individuals that have resources also experience work-life balance and can gain more resources. ...
Previous research has shown that there is a significant positive relationship between work-life balance and workplace wellbeing. However, the factors that impact this relationship have been historically understudied. One factor that has been left out of the research is sexual satisfaction. While research has been produced on sexual satisfaction's impact on overall wellbeing, its' impact on workplace wellbeing has not been studied. This research aimed to test the theoretical relationship between work-life balance, sexual satisfaction, and workplace wellbeing. Specifically, this study researches if sexual satisfaction mediates the relationship between work-life balance and workplace wellbeing. After surveying 150 participants, this research concluded that sexual satisfaction does not mediate the relationship between work-life balance and workplace wellbeing. However, sexual satisfaction does mediate the relationship between work-life balance and health. Additionally, the findings extended the literature through the examination of linkages between work-life balance, sexual satisfaction and workplace outcomes that had never been examined. The results and implications of these findings are further discussed.
... Whereas negative emotional states, including clinical levels of depression and anxiety, are typically associated with women's decreased sexual desire and frequency [38,39], the opposite relationship has been documented among heterosexual men [39]. Daily experience studies find that coitus on 1 day is not linked with negative mood on the same-day [40], but is linked with lower next-day negative mood and anxiety [41,42]. In contrast, sexual activity (i.e., oral sex, passionate kissing, penetration) on 1 day is associated with increased positive mood on the same-day [40,43] and nextday [41,44]. ...
... Daily experience studies find that coitus on 1 day is not linked with negative mood on the same-day [40], but is linked with lower next-day negative mood and anxiety [41,42]. In contrast, sexual activity (i.e., oral sex, passionate kissing, penetration) on 1 day is associated with increased positive mood on the same-day [40,43] and nextday [41,44]. More pleasurable sexual activity is linked with lower next-day negative mood and anxiety [41,45] and higher next-day positive mood [41]. ...
... In contrast, sexual activity (i.e., oral sex, passionate kissing, penetration) on 1 day is associated with increased positive mood on the same-day [40,43] and nextday [41,44]. More pleasurable sexual activity is linked with lower next-day negative mood and anxiety [41,45] and higher next-day positive mood [41]. Longitudinal studies reveal similar patterns [46]. ...
Purpose of Review
Emotion regulation is a key contributor to social functioning and mental health; yet, its influence on sexual well-being has only recently gained research attention. To elucidate correlates of women’s sexual satisfaction, desire, frequency, function, and distress and guide future study, the present review evaluates research at the intersection of emotion regulation and sexual well-being.
Recent Findings
There are clear associations between mood and sexual well-being, with the interference of negative emotion on sexual outcomes stronger for women relative to men. Although there is evidence that women’s poorer emotion regulation abilities are related to poorer sexual well-being, associations between specific emotion regulation strategies and sexual outcomes are less established, possibly due to the abundance of regulatory strategies and dearth of research on emotion regulation in sexual contexts. Still, our review suggests that women’s greater sexual well-being is positively associated with strategies characterized by adaptive engagement (e.g., problem solving, acceptance, reappraisal) and negatively associated with strategies characterized by disengagement (e.g., avoidance, suppression, distraction) and aversive cognitive perseveration (e.g., worry, rumination).
Summary
Extant research is consistent with models of women’s sexual response and offers preliminary support for the emotion regulation–sexual well-being link. While the explanatory power of the current literature is limited by a lack of dyadic and longitudinal studies, interventions targeting emotion regulation hold promise for improving women’s and couples’ sexual well-being.
... Leisure understandings and scholars do not necessarily fit in a narrow definition of sex (e.g., as penile-vaginal or penile-anal intercourse; Barnett, Fleck, Marsden, & Martin, 2018), which obscures the complexity of sexual matters by portraying sexual function as a genital toggle switch (Resnick, 2019). Conversely, adopting a broad(er) definition of sex as any activity with sexual overtones (including activities with and without penetration; Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2019) turns sexuality research into leisure scholars' playground where we can explore a wide spectrum of sexual pleasures and expressions (Berdychevsky, 2018). Indeed, sexuality permeates our entire personality and a wide range of attitudes, behaviors, and practices, including the domain of leisure. ...
... Sex as leisure contributes to sexual wellbeing and happiness (Berdychevsky & Nimrod, 2017). Sex leads to boosts in mood and has a lingering effect on a sense of happiness (Kashdan et al., 2019;Laumann et al., 2006;. This effect has also been conceptualized as a sexual afterglow, which is a post-sex bump in satisfaction, contributing to sexual wellbeing (Meltzer et al., 2017). ...
... Third, the roles of sex have been virtually ignored in theories on wellbeing (Kashdan et al., 2019). Hence, knowledge of the links between leisure and hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing can help understand and affirm sexual pleasure as beneficial to health and wellbeing. ...
50 free online copies available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/B8IPFNWTJVIUZPWXTYA6/full?target=10.1080/01490400.2020.1714519
This special issue responds to the need to investigate the complex links between sex and leisure and their implications for research and practice. The focus is on analyzing the complexity of sex as leisure in various socio-cultural and geographical contexts while focusing on pressing sexual issues and vulnerable populations. The articles address the implementation of a positive sexuality framework for guiding leisure research; sexual play and sex toys based on consumer experience perspectives; using the leisure lens to analyze sex and pornography addiction; quadriplegic sexuality and leisure; rejection and resilience on a gay cruise; relational dynamics of aging, exploitation, and deceit in sex tourism; sexual harassment of solo female travelers; and the complexity of consent in the sexualized leisure space of a pornography expo. This issue will be of general interest to the audience interested in interdisciplinary scholarship as it critically broadens the bio-psycho-socio-cultural perspective of sex as leisure.
... Past work has found that people tend to report greater sexual and relationship satisfaction on days when sex occurs, compared to days when sex does not occur (Debrot et al., 2017;Kahneman et al., 2004;Kashdan et al., 2018), though it is not clear if perceiving a sexual experience as planned or spontaneous is associated with satisfaction. The limited previous research on this topic suggests that both planned and spontaneous sex could be associated with more satisfying sexual experiences (Ferreira et al., 2015;Kleinplatz & Ménard, 2020;Murray et al., 2017). ...
... Though there is a lack of empirical evidence thus far to support the effectiveness of sexual planning, one reason for its popularity among clinicians is that intentionality is thought to protect partners from falling into the trap of sex avoidance (McCarthy & Wald, 2015). More frequent sex is associated with greater relationship satisfaction and wellbeing (Muise et al., 2016); as compared to days when sex does not occur, on sex days, people tend to report greater relationship quality, positive affect, and well-being (Debrot et al., 2017;Kahneman et al., 2004;Kashdan et al., 2018). Therefore, associations between engaging in sex and sexual and relationship quality might happen regardless of whether sex is seen as spontaneous or planned, and beliefs about sexual spontaneity may be inconsequential when romantic partners are having satisfying sex on a regular basis. ...
Sexual satisfaction is critical for relationship quality and people hold lay beliefs (implicit theories) about what makes for satisfying sex. A common belief in Western culture is that spontaneous sex is most satisfying, but this idea has not yet been studied. In pre-registered analyses of two studies - a cross sectional (N = 303 individuals) and a 21-day daily experience study (N = 121 couples) - we found support for two distinct beliefs (spontaneous sex as satisfying; planned sex as satisfying). Across both studies, people held stronger beliefs that spontaneous sex is satisfying compared to planned sex, but stronger spontaneous sex beliefs were only associated with higher sexual satisfaction in Study 1. In Study 1, when people perceived their most recent sexual experience as planned (versus spontaneous), they felt less sexually satisfied, but this was not the case for those who endorsed stronger planned sex beliefs. In Study 2, endorsing stronger planned sex beliefs was associated with a partner's lower sexual satisfaction at baseline. There were no associations between perceptions of the extent to which sex was spontaneous and sexual satisfaction at baseline or in daily life. Future research could test whether beliefs about spontaneity and planning have value in clinical settings.
... For instance, meaning in life, was investigated with other dominant psychological variables for instance suicidal ideation (Tan et al., 2018), wellbeing (Krok, 2018;Li, 2018;Russo-Netzer, 2019), mental health (Mohammadi et al., 2018), gratitude and suicidal ideation (Lin, 2021), cross-cultural relationships and psychological wellbeing (Fischer et al., 2021) and prosocial tendency (Lin, Hong, Xiao, & Lian, 2020), resilience and life satisfaction (Karaman et al., 2020), depressive symptoms and positive affect (Park, Knott, Williams, Clark, Williams, & Schulz, 2020) and eating disorders (Marco et al., 2020), interpersonal stress , psychological maltreatment and emotions (Arslan et al., 2022), anxiety and depression (Szczesniak et al., 2022), hope and well-being (Guse, & Shaw, 2018), self-efficacy and identity exploration (Sagiv et al., 2022), resilience, affective balance, and psychological health problems (Yıldırım et al., 2021), loneliness and neuroscience (Mwilambwe-Tshilobo et. al, 2019), financial well-being (Rea et al., 2019), sexuality (Kashdan et al., 2018), spirituality (Barton, Tate, Lau, Taliesin, Waldman, & Rosenberg, 2018) and depression and suicide ideation (Jose & Angelina, 2019). ...
... Presence Findings in this study supports previous studies on the importance of meaning in life and psychological well being and mental health of individuals (Arslan et al., 2022;Barton et al., 2018;Sagiv et al., 2022;Fischer et al., 2021;Guse, & Shaw, 2018;Jose, & Angelina, 2019;Karaman et al., 2020;Kashdan et al., 2018;Krok, 2018;Lee et al., 2022;Li, 2018;Russo-Netzer, 2019;Lin, 2021;Lin et al., 2020;Tan et al., 2018;Marco et al., 2020;Mohammadi et al., 2018;Mwilambwe-Tshilobo et. al., 2019;Park et al., 2020;Szczesniak et al., 2022;Yildirım et al., 2021). ...
... inactive) participants during the pandemic reported less anxiety, less depression, and more dyadic adjustment. These findings also resonate with research showing that positive sexual experiences are associated with sexual satisfaction (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), and that sex life quality is associated with subjective well-being (e.g., Buczak-Stec et al., 2019;Kashdan et al., 2018) and perceived physical health (e.g., Lindau & Gavrilova, 2010). ...
... For example, future studies could conceptually replicate our study with partnered and single people (e.g., during other stressful times) using longitudinal data. If perceived changes in sex life quality and intimacy were associated with online pornography use and other outcomes, we can speculate that sex life quality was a potential underlying mechanism explaining why changes in online pornography use during stressful times harmed or benefitted interpersonal dynamics and subjective physical well-being (see also Buczak-Stec et al., 2019;Kashdan et al., 2018). Lastly, and equally important, the cross-sectional nature of our data did not allow us to establish causal links between our variables nor examine dyadic processes. ...
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced several people into social isolation and research has shown a paradoxical effect on people's sexual functioning. Some people experienced decreases in sexual desire and sexual satisfaction, whereas others experienced heightened sexual desire and made new additions to their sexual repertoire, including more online pornography use, during the lockdown. Yet, studies failed to examine its interpersonal and intrapersonal correlates, distinguish between solitary and joint use, or explore differences between partnered and single people. We examined if changes in solitary or joint online pornography use since the lockdown were associated with sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, perceived health, and sleep quality. We conducted an online cross-sectional study with convenience sampling in Portugal (N = 303 participants; 56.3% men; Mage = 31.32, SD = 10.55; 71.0% in a relationship) during May and July 2020. Partnered participants who reported increases in solitary online pornography use also reported decreases in their sex life quality. For partnered and single participants, increases in joint online pornography use were associated with increases in sex life quality. Single participants who reported increases in solitary online pornography use also perceived better health and sleep quality, and those who reported increases in joint online pornography use also reported more intimacy with casual partner(s) and better sleep quality. These findings suggest that online pornography might have beens used as a sexual pleasure tool to connect with a stable or casual partner(s) in a time when social interactions were restricted.
... However, since CNM individuals are open to having sex with more than their primary partner, it is possible that their overall sexual frequency exceeds that of monogamous persons. Research also indicates for the general population, there is an optimal frequency of sex associated with happiness (Blanchflower & Oswald, 2004) and well-being (Kashdan et al., 2018;Muise et al., 2016;Wadsworth, 2014). Similarly, greater or lesser sexual frequency than is personally desired or the experience of unwanted sex (Cheng & Smyth, 2015;Loewenstein et al., 2015) were associated with declining happiness and well-being. ...
... Our second and third hypotheses were largely supported contrasting with research on once per week being optimal for happiness (Blanchflower & Oswald, 2004) and wellbeing (Muise et al., 2016) in the general population. Research by Kashdan et al. (2018) found that greater sexual frequency may have a one-way effect promoting well-being. This would provide a possible explanation for the CNM sample's greater happiness compared to the general population sample. ...
The primary objective of this cross-sectional study was to examine the associations of self-reported health, happiness, marital happiness, frequency of sexual activity, and number of partners from a multinational survey of individuals who are consensually non-monogamous (CNM) or open to being CNM, completed in 2012 with 4062 respondents. We compared data from this survey with the 2010–2014 US General Social Surveys (GSS). This study explored these variables and their predictors by gender (including 612 non-binary-gendered CNM individuals), marital status, number of partners, sexual frequency, age, education, and income and were broken down by behavioral sexual orientation, marital status, and other relevant categories. Respondents in our CNM sample generally reported being as healthy (sometimes healthier; e.g., all respondents M–W Z = 7.66, p < .001, η2 = 0.007), happy (frequently happier; e.g., multiple-partnered Z = 15.43, p < .001, η2 = 0.069), happy in their marriages (in some cases happier; e.g., multiple-partnered females Z = 2.61, p = .009, η2 = 0.067), and reported having more frequent sexual activity (e.g., all Z = 29.54, p < .001, η2 = 0.094) with more partners (e.g., all Z = 60.75, p < .001, η2 = 0.393) compared to corresponding individuals within the GSS. This study contributes to knowledge about commonalities and differences between the general population and those who are CNM regarding health, happiness, and happiness in marriage, including differences in optimal number of sexual partners and sexual frequency.
... Exploratory analysis was consistent with the idea that practicing OM more frequently might offer some more sustained increase in relationship closeness beyond after the OM session alone. Effects of increased closeness from non-OM sex partners appears to extend for days [85]. Depending on the mechanism, OM effects also might extend beyond the immediate time-frame of the laboratory. ...
... Others report having sex to express closeness and intimacy with a partner [98]. A daily diary study suggested that sexual activity with a romantic partner increased relationship closeness and positive emotions for several days [85]. Notably, the reverse was not true: simply being in a positive mood did not increase the later likelihood of sexual activity in that study. ...
Relationship closeness promotes desirable health outcomes. Most interventions to increase relationship closeness are verbal, which may not suit all couples. We consider whether Orgasmic Meditation (OM), a structured, partnered, largely non-verbal practice that includes genital touch, also increases relationship closeness. We hypothesized that OM would increase feelings of closeness for both romantic and non-romantic partners. This is important, because intimate touch with non-romantic partners is commonly considered deleterious by clinicians, which may inadvertently increase feelings of shame. Dyads (n = 125) reported their feelings of closeness before and after OM. Approximately half of the participants were romantic partners, while the other half only engaged in OM together (non-romantic). Closeness after OM increased on average across participants. Non-romantic dyads increased self-other overlap more than romantic dyads. These data support that a partnered, largely non-verbal practice is associated with increased feelings of closeness in the moment, including for individuals who are not in a romantic relationship.
... In male veterans with PTSD, increased sexual frequency and pleasure seem to be meaningful components of sexual functioning that reduce suicide risk. Although previous research has not directly examined this association, the association between sexual intimacy and personal well-being has been well documented (Blanchflower & Oswald, 2004;Kashdan et al., 2014;Laumann et al., 2006) with current research finding that increased sexual activity and sexual pleasure lead to lower negative affect and higher positive affect over time (Kashdan et al., 2018). For men with PTSD, sexual connection may directly combat avoidance and emotional numbing potentially allowing for feelings of increased intimacy in the relationship. ...
... For men with PTSD, sexual connection may directly combat avoidance and emotional numbing potentially allowing for feelings of increased intimacy in the relationship. Interestingly, sexual engagement also predicts increased meaning in life (Kashdan et al., 2018), a construct often cited as a robust protective factor for suicide (e.g., Kleiman & Beaver, 2013). Of the sexual functioning subscales in our study, only sexual pleasure and frequency significantly predicted reduced suicidal ideation for men. ...
Intimate relationship distress has been identified as one of the most common precipitants of suicidal thoughts for U.S. military populations. Sexual functioning is associated with relationship distress and has recently been identified as a predictor of suicidal ideation with female military personnel; however, no studies have examined this association among a treatment-seeking sample of male and female veterans and their partners. Couples (N = 138) completed baseline assessments of sexual functioning, relationship functioning, suicidal ideation, and mental health prior to evaluation for engagement in a couples-based PTSD treatment study. Analyses revealed that decreased sexual pleasure and decreased frequency of sexual intercourse were associated with more recent suicidal ideation for male veterans, whereas increased sexual frequency was marginally associated with increased suicidal ideation for female veterans, controlling for PTSD and depression symptoms, relationship satisfaction, and medications. These findings stress the importance of assessing sexual functioning as a risk factor for suicide and taking into consideration the possibility that sexual functioning may be protective or predictive of suicidality depending on the person and context.
... Sexual behavior has also been associated with life satisfaction (Schmiedeberg, Huyer-May, Castiglioni, & Johnson, 2017) and well-being (Anderson, 2013;Debrot, Meuwly, Muise, Impett, & Schoebi, 2017), but it is often ignored by theoretical models of well-being (for a recent discussion, see Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2017). Importantly, attitudes individuals hold toward their own sexuality can predict their behavior when in a romantic relationship. ...
... This specific sample offers therefore a unique framework for exploring relationship processes among individuals motivated to engage in some form of infidelity. Third, although sexuality is often lacking in theoretical models of well-being (Kashdan et al., 2017), we examined how relationship agreements are associated with different dimensions of QoL. Fourth, we replicated cross-culturally recent findings showing that different relationship agreements are associated with happiness and health (Fleckenstein & Cox, 2015). ...
Research has typically shown that unrestricted sociosexuality is negatively associated with relationship quality and that relationship quality is positively associated with quality of life (QoL). However, these findings may be restricted to individuals in monogamous relationships, especially those with prior extradyadic interactions (i.e., non-consensual non-monogamous; NCNM). Indeed, individuals in consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationships have more unrestricted sociosexuality and are also more satisfied with and committed to their relationships. Still, little research has examined whether both relationship agreements are associated differently with attraction forces (wanting to be) and constraining forces (having to be) in the relationship and how they are related to QoL. We conducted a cross-sectional study with 373 heterosexuals (73.2% men, Mage = 41.15, SD = 10.18) registered on Second Love, a dating Web site for romantically involved individuals. Results showed differences in the hypothesized model, according to relationship agreement. For individuals in CNM relationships, unrestricted sociosexuality was associated with stronger attraction forces, which were then associated with greater QoL. The opposite pattern was found for those in NCNM relationships. Furthermore, and regardless of relationship agreement, unrestricted sociosexuality was associated with weaker constraining forces, which were associated with greater QoL. These results make a novel contribution to the literature on relationship agreements and how they relate to QoL.
... Specifically, I am interested in how sexual desire and sexual satisfaction can be enhanced, especially during circumstances that may undermine relational stability, such as decreases in sexual desire and sexual frequency McNulty & Fisher, 2008), mismatches in sexual desire (Rosen et al., 2018), sexual disagreements (Maxwell et al., 2017), and sexual dysfunction . I am also interested in how sexual relationships (i.e., variables such as sexual frequency and sexual satisfaction) are associated with subjective well-being (e.g., life satisfaction; Kashdan et al., 2018;Muise et al., 2016). Furthermore, I have conducted research on various sexual behaviors (e.g., intentions to engage in casual sex and sexual infidelity). ...
Since Spring 2021, I have been on the Editorial Board for Personal Relationships as an International Section Peer Mentor. In the International Section, I work to diversify relationship science with a team of relationship scientists. In this role, I have learned more about diversity, and in turn, I have become inspired to reflect on other strategies I could partake in to assist in further diversifying relationship science. I aim to share those insights in this commentary through recommendations for relationship scientists. In addition to sharing these recommendations, I describe my positionality in a positionality statement, and I provide background on what diversity means to me and my current expertise in the subject matter. There are several recommendations in this commentary , and they involve all steps of the research process. I encourage relationship scientists to educate themselves, to consider the various diversities when developing their research questions, to initiate collaborations with and learn from other research teams whenever possible, to ensure that they are not unintentionally excluding underrepresented groups, Statement of Relevance: This commentary contributes to relationship science through recommendations for researchers who study personal relationships that are related to the diversification of the field. Specifically, this commentary highlights considerations related to human diversity across all steps of the research process, including study conceptualization, participant recruitment, and the reporting of participant demographic data.
... FSD can have a variety of etiologies, one of which is spinal cord injury (SCI). People with SCI report sexual function as one of their top priorities to regain 5,6 and sexual function is an important factor in quality of life for all adults 7 . Location and severity of the injury often determine which aspects of sexual function are impacted (e.g., arousal, desire). ...
Introduction: Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) impacts an estimated 40% of women. Unfortunately, female sexual function is understudied, leading to limited treatment options for FSD. Neuromodulation has demonstrated some success in improving FSD symptoms. We developed a pilot study to investigate the short-term effect of electrical stimulation of the dorsal genital nerve and tibial nerve on sexual arousal in healthy women, women with FSD, and women with spinal cord injury (SCI) and FSD.
Methods: This study consists of a randomized crossover design in three groups: women with SCI, women with non-neurogenic FSD, and women without FSD or SCI. The primary outcome measure was change in vaginal pulse amplitude (VPA) from baseline. Secondary outcome measures were changes in subjective arousal, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure from baseline. Participants attended one or two study sessions where they received either transcutaneous dorsal genital nerve stimulation (DGNS) or tibial nerve stimulation (TNS). At each session, a vaginal photoplethysmography sensor was used to measure VPA. Participants also rated their level of subjective arousal and were asked to report any pelvic sensations.
Results: We found that subjective arousal increased significantly from before to after stimulation in DGNS study sessions across all women. TNS had no effect on subjective arousal. There were significant differences in VPA between baseline and stimulation, baseline and recovery, and stimulation and recovery periods among participants, but there were no trends across groups or stimulation type. Two participants with complete SCIs experienced genital sensations.
Discussion: This is the first study to measure sexual arousal in response to acute neuromodulation in women. This study demonstrates that acute DGNS, but not TNS, can increase subjective arousal, but the effect of stimulation on genital arousal is inconclusive. This study provides further support for DGNS as a treatment for female sexual dysfunction.
... However, our results do not allow us to draw temporal or causal inferences on how physical intimacy relates to affect and stress. For example, it is possible that in moments when people experience physical intimacy, their positive affect increases (similar to improved mood after sexual activity: Kashdan et al., 2018), but it is also possible that momentary good mood precedes engaging in intimate behavior, which additionally implies bidirectionality (Burleson et al., 2007;Dewitte et al., 2015). In our follow-up analyses, we proposed models that utilize positive affect, negative affect, and daily cortisol levels as predictor variables, and physical intimacy experienced and physical intimacy wished as outcome variables. ...
Objectives:
Physical intimacy is important for communicating affection in romantic relationships. Theoretical and empirical work highlights linkages between physical intimacy, affect, and physiological stress among young and middle-aged adults, but not older adults. We examine physical intimacy and its associations with positive and negative affect and cortisol levels in the daily lives of older couples.
Method:
We applied actor-partner multilevel models to repeated daily life assessments of physical intimacy (experienced and wished) and affect obtained six times a day over seven consecutive days from 120 older heterosexual German couples (Mage= 71.6, SDage= 5.94). Physiological stress was indexed as total daily cortisol output, the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg).
Results:
Physical intimacy experienced and wished were reported at the vast majority of occasions, but to different degrees at different times. Within persons, in moments when participants experienced more physical intimacy, older women reported less negative affect, whereas older men reported more positive affect. Between persons, higher overall levels of physical intimacy experienced were associated with higher positive affect and less negative affect among women and with lower daily cortisol output among men. A stronger wish for intimacy was related to more negative affect among both women and men, and to higher daily cortisol output among men.
Discussion:
Physical intimacy is linked with mood and stress hormones in the daily life of older couples. We consider routes for future inquiry on physical intimacy among older adults.
... Female sexual health is an important determinant in quality of life, contributing to both increased meaning in life and general well-being [1]. Unfortunately, approximately 40% of women suffer from female sexual dysfunction (FSD) [2]. ...
Introduction
Genital arousal is a necessary component of sexual function but has been understudied in women. There are few treatment options for women who have female sexual dysfunction stemming from difficulties with arousal. Some studies have shown that neuromodulation can increase vaginal blood perfusion, but the effect of neuromodulation on blood perfusion in the vulva is unknown.
Aim
Our goal was to investigate whether pudendal or tibial nerve stimulation can evoke an increase in vulvar blood perfusion.
Methods
We used female Sprague-Dawley rats for non-survival procedures under urethane anesthesia. We measured perineal blood perfusion using laser speckle contrast imaging in response to twenty-minute stimulation trials of pudendal and tibial nerve stimulation. Then, after thoracic level spinalization and a rest period, we repeated these trials.
Main Outcome Measures
We calculated average blood perfusion for three perineal regions (vulva, anus, and inner thigh) before, during, and after stimulation. We made comparisons for each region before, during, and after 20 minutes of stimulation and before and after spinalization.
Results
We observed a significant increase in vulvar, anal, and inner thigh blood perfusion during pudendal nerve stimulation in spinally intact and spinalized rats. Tibial nerve stimulation had no effect on perineal blood perfusion for both spinally intact and spinalized rats.
Conclusions
This study demonstrates that pudendal nerve stimulation modulates vulvar blood perfusion, indicating the potential of pudendal neuromodulation to improve genital blood flow as a treatment for women with sexual dysfunction. Studies with animal models focused on genital arousal disorders are needed to obtain further insights into the mechanisms of neural control over genital hemodynamics.
... That is, it is both the partner's responses (taking) as well as one's own reactions (giving) that constitute the outcomes of sexual activities (Gadassi et al., 2016). Within such mutual engagements, sexual activity also provides a window for the partners to communicate each other's significance and concern, which builds greater meaning and bonds between them (Birnbaum & Finkel, 2015;Birnbaum & Reis, 2019;Kashdan et al., 2018). In fact, research has demonstrated that even less-satisfying sex on days of conflict can provide a momentary buffer on marital satisfaction (Maxwell & Meltzer, 2020). ...
According to the theories on interpersonal mattering, reciprocal interactions and mutual engagements facilitate the formation of interpersonal mattering within relationships. However, the theoretical framework on mattering has rarely been applied to understand the roles of sexual and verbal exchanges within intimate relationships. To fill this research gap, the authors proposed that heightened perception of mattering captures the common mechanism through which both frequent sex and communication predict greater marital satisfaction. Building on this perspective, the study examined whether frequent sex and communication can compensate for the other in predicting marital satisfaction by sustaining the sense of mattering between spouses. Two survey studies were conducted using cross-cultural online samples (Study 1: Nkorean = 307 and NAmerican = 277) and a community sample of married dyads (Study 2: N = 286). Across these samples, the results demonstrated that the perceived sense of mattering to spouse mediated the effects of both sexual frequency and communication quantity on the couples’ overall satisfaction with their marriage. Moreover, the results of the moderated mediation analyses supported the hypothesis that sexual frequency and communication quantity can moderate the effects of the other on marital satisfaction by providing a buffer on the couples’ perceived sense of mattering to spouse.
... A number of studies have suggested that SS is not only important in and of itself, but that it also predicts various aspects of broader (non-sexual) quality of life (QOL; e.g. life satisfaction, mental health, happiness, and relationship satisfaction; Flynn et al., 2016;Kashdan et al., 2018;Ryan & Deci, 2001). For example, the Global Study of Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors (Laumann et al., 2006) suggested that, across cultures, those reporting high levels of SS also reported higher overall life satisfaction. ...
Sexual satisfaction (SS) may be an important predictor of broader quality of life (QOL; e.g. life satisfaction, etc.). However, past studies have rarely examined moderating variables of this association. The current study examined gender differences in the association between QOL and satisfaction with both intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of sex (e.g. one’s physical pleasure vs. quality of emotional connection with a partner). 188 adults completed measures of SS and QOL. SS was moderately correlated with a range of QOL outcomes. Satisfaction with intrapersonal aspects of sex was generally a stronger predictor of QOL for men whereas satisfaction with interpersonal factors was sometimes more predictive of QOL in women. Implications regarding the broader impact of sexual well-being are discussed.
... Such ratings of sexual arousal are sensitive and malleable to cognitive, pharmacological, and nervous system manipulations (Handy et al., 2018). Other emotions were rated, including items from the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson et al., 1988), "happy" (Harmon-Jones et al., 2016), and feeling of interpersonal closeness (Aron et al., 1992;Kashdan et al., 2018). In total, participants rated (1) Happy, (2) Angry, (3) Sexually aroused, (4) Amused, (5) Anxious, and (6) Sense of feeling close. ...
Partnered sexual interactions can provoke distressing emotional experiences for individuals with a history of childhood adversity impeding the experience of sexual arousal. Some theorize that such histories impair the ability to feel close to any person, leading to difficulty connecting with intimate partners and sexual dissatisfaction. In contrast, it is possible that alleged deficits in closeness are due to contextual factors. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether the same deficits were present during Orgasmic Meditation (OM), a form of partnered sexual interaction that specifically promotes closeness. Couples (N=125) experienced in OM with varying childhood adversity rated their positive and negative emotions before and after OM in a laboratory. Participants reported higher positive (happy, amused, sexually aroused) and lower negative (anxiety, anger) emotions after OM. Those reporting more childhood adversity, especially sexual abuse, reported higher sexual arousal relative to those who had less childhood adversity. We conclude that effects of adverse childhood on perceived closeness and arousal can be mitigated contextually.
... A satisfying sex life promotes emotional connection between partners and increases their pleasure, sexual desire, and couple satisfaction (Impett, Muise, & Peragine, 2014). Studying sexual satisfaction in future parenting couples is important because it is associated with the short-and long-term couple stability and psychological well-being (Ein-Dor & Hirschberger, 2012;Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2018). Several studies have documented a decline in sexual satisfaction over the course of pregnancy (see Serati et al., 2010 for a review), mainly due to major body changes experienced by women, limitations in sexual positions (Gökyildiz & Beji, 2005), or fears of hurting the baby (Beveridge, Vannier, & Rosen, 2018). ...
Introduction
Expecting a first child is a challenging period for relationship partners, especially in regard to their sex life. In fact, sexual satisfaction can diminish for most pregnant couples.
Objective
This research aimed to explore the associations between attachment insecurity (anxiety and avoidance) and sexual satisfaction through relationship intimacy and partner support among both partners during pregnancy.
Method
During the second trimester of pregnancy, 127 first-time parent couples completed online questionnaires assessing romantic attachment, sexual satisfaction, intimacy, and couple support. This study was cross-sectional. Path analyses based on the Actor-Partner Interdependance Model were conducted.
Results
Results revealed the presence of indirect associations between attachment avoidance, but not anxiety, and lower sexual satisfaction, via intimacy and couple support, in women and men. Men's attachment avoidance was also indirectly related to their pregnant partners’ lower sexual satisfaction through these variables.
Conclusion
These results highlight the importance of relational processes, namely intimacy and support, in sexual satisfaction during a pregnancy.
... Others have administered full scales validated for other methodologies (e.g., Muise et al., 2014;Pâquet et al., 2018), which may be feasible once a day but could become unduly burdensome in study designs that ask participants to respond more frequently. Still other sex researchers (e.g., Kashdan et al., 2018; have seemingly written items that appear to be face valid and content valid but lacked data supporting such assumptions -even if they provided a theoretical rationale for their items (e.g., Fortenberry & Hensel, 2011) Sex researchers interested in using ESM should emphasize the development of measures that validly assess their constructs of interest and that are feasible for these study designs; doing so will be critical to fully realizing the benefits of ESM: namely, reducing recall bias, increasing ecological validity, and assessing within-person variability. More methodological research that provides robust evidence regarding ESM measures of key constructs in sex research will assist in the standardization and replicability of findings, which could support larger networks of sex researchers using ESM and ultimately generate findings that are reliable and generalizable (Ebner-Priemer & Trull, 2009;Myin-Germeys et al., 2018). ...
Preliminary evidence indicates that people's sexual consent (i.e., their willingness to engage in sexual activity and communication of that willingness) varies across time and context. Study designs that assess sexual consent at multiple time points (e.g., experience sampling methodology [ESM]) are needed to better understand the within-person variability of sexual consent. However, extant validated measures of sexual consent are not appropriate for ESM studies, which require shorter assessments due to the increased burden this methodology has on participants. As such, the goal of the present study was to develop ESM measures of sexual consent based on items that have previously been validated for use in cross-sectional surveys. We selected items that balanced face validity as evidenced by cognitive interviews (n = 10) and content validity as evidenced by experts' ratings (n = 6). To assess the construct validity and feasibility of these items, we administered the selected ESM measures of sexual consent in a seven-day pilot study (n = 12). The results suggested that the ESM measures developed in the present study were a valid and feasible assessment of people's experience-specific internal consent feelings and external consent communication. We conclude with recommendations for sex researchers interested in ESM.
... Significantly distressing problems in these areas are labeled as female Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder (SIAD) in the DSM-5 (APA, 2013). Impaired sexual function is associated with a variety of negative outcomes (e.g., Kashdan et al., 2018;Stephenson & Meston, 2015), and diagnosed sexual dysfunction is by definition distressing to the individual. Given the prevalence and impact of female sexual difficulties, evidence-based, accessible treatment options are needed. ...
Objectives
Difficulties with sexual desire and arousal are common in women, but most lack access to effective treatment such as cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT). eSense is a recently created online CBT intervention for sexual difficulties with promising evidence of usability. The current study assessed the feasibility of women completing the full eSense CBT program without guidance.
Methods
Eleven women with Sexual Interest/Arousal Disorder completed eSense and provided feedback via semi‐structured interviews.
Results
Participants reported high satisfaction with eSense's functionality, improved knowledge about sexuality, greater awareness of their thought patterns, and better perspective around their sexual difficulties. Despite some difficulty completing homework, participants exhibited statistically significant pre‐post improvements in sexual desire (d = 1.04), sexual arousal (d = 1.83), sexual satisfaction (d = 1.35), and sexual distress (d = 1.79).
Conclusion
The findings add to the growing evidence that self‐guided online interventions are feasible and potentially efficacious in treating female sexual dysfunction.
... Brose et al., 2020;Fosco & Lydon-Staley, 2019;Gunaydin et al., 2016;Panaite et al., 2019), attentional bias(Iijima et al., 2018), having a sense of purpose(Hill et al., 2018), having a sense of control(Koffer et al., 2019), humour(Nezlek et al., 2020), physical activity(Puterman et al., 2017), sexual activity(Kashdan et al., 2018), social behaviour(Schacter & Margolin, 2018), cognitive-behavioural therapy intervention(McIntyre et al., 2019), and various coping strategies(Finkelstein-Fox et al., 2019;Santiago et al., 2016;Shermeyer et al., 2018). For example,Koffer et al. (2019) obtained daily reports from 150 adults over 9 weeks and found that individuals ...
The purpose of this article is to introduce the Brief Emotional Experience Scale (BEES) as a measure for mood monitoring. The reliability and validity of the BEES was evaluated across three studies. In the first study (n = 326), convergent validity was assessed between the BEES with the established Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). Exploratory factor analysis of the BEES reveals it conforms to the same two-factor structure as the SPANE that includes positive and negative emotion, and the overall BEES score was strongly positively associated with the SPANE (r = 0.86). The second study (n = 1239) replicated the factor analysis results and evidence was found for convergence between the BEES and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). In the third study (n = 95), to assess the utility of the BEES as a measure for mood monitoring, participants filled out the BEES three times per day for seven consecutive days while also indicating if they had experienced positive and/or negative events. BEES scores fluctuated as expected depending on self-reported positive and negative events during the week. Additionally, results indicate the BEES can be used as a reliable cross-sectional measure, and within-participants longitudinal measure, when reflecting on the past few hours. The current study provides evidence to indicate the BEES can serve as a reliable and valid very brief measure (approximately 30 seconds) for scholars and practitioners interested in mood monitoring.
... Couple's sexuality and mental health Kashdan et al. (2011Kashdan et al. ( , 2014, Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight (2018) research focused on sexuality as a primary source for positive experiences in romantic relationships. In 2018, they showed that being sexually active on one day was unidirectionally related to greater well-being the next day. ...
To better understand the effect relationship closeness has on couple’s sexuality a scoping review was conducted, that focused on the inclusion of other in the self scale (IOS). Authors reviewed quantitative journal articles published between 2000 and 2020 by searching PsychInfo, Medline, and PubMed, resulting in 24 studies. Results suggest positive associations between IOS and sexual well-being, functioning, desire, frequency and satisfaction, and negatively related to sexual distress. Also, the benefits of positive sexual experiences expand well beyond the sexual domain onto different personal and relational factors of health and well-being. Sampling designs considerably limit the generalizability of results.
... In our study, we had unprecedented information on subjective well-being on days preceding and days following sexual assault. The only reason we could collect these data is that we included a question about non-consensual sex in a 21-day experience sampling study (Kashdan et al., 2014;Kashdan, Adams, Savostyanova, McKnight & Nezlek, 2011;Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2018). When data are available to capture the temporal course of traumatic events (see Fredrickson, Tugade, Waugh, & Larkin, 2003 for an examination of 46 people before to after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001), a small sample becomes meaningful, especially if the goal is to provide knowledge to spearhead future research. ...
Approximately 15-20% of adult women in the United States have been sexually assaulted. Given the high prevalence of sexual assault, it becomes increasingly important to understand immediate responses to sexual assault. A lack of information prior to sexual assaults contributes to a literature that is unable to showcase the presence and amount of change. A tendency to rely on comparisons between people, instead of the collection of multiple moments of a single person over time, will continue to point toward imprecise, statistical "average" reactions to sexual assaults. Prior methodological approaches lead to broad overgeneralizations about sexual assault survivors that may undermine their unique experiences in the aftermath of an assault. The present study extends the existing literature with access to unprecedented data gathered on the days before and immediately after someone survived a sexual assault. To our knowledge, there are no studies capturing prior functioning and near immediate psychological reactions of sexual assault survivors. In the present study, each night over the course of three weeks, we asked college students (n = 186) to report on their sexual activity and well-being. Six women and one man reported being sexually assaulted at least once. We examined psychological experiences on the days before and after sexual assaults (including negative and positive affect, social anxiety, self-esteem, emotion expressive suppression, and cognitive reappraisal). To examine sexual assault reactions, we used various descriptive approaches. Our results suggest that before and after being assaulted, survivors showed no consistent response in subjective well-being. We failed to find a prototypical psychological profile. Despite the small sample, our results raise important questions and offer future hypotheses about individual differences in responses to sexual assault.
... Sexual well-being is a major component of overall quality of life and relationship adjustment (Kashdan et al., 2018;McNulty et al., 2016). Yet, more than 50% of individuals report not being fully satisfied with the sexual aspects of their relationship, and sexual satisfaction typically declines over the course of a relationship (McNulty et al., 2016;Mulhall et al., 2008). ...
This study examined the contribution of child maltreatment (CM) to trajectories of couples’ sexual well-being, and whether relationship satisfaction moderates these associations. Using a sample of 269 mixed-sex couples followed over one year, dyadic latent growth curve models showed both actor and partner effects. In terms of actor effects, women’s emotional neglect was associated with lower initial levels of sexual satisfaction, and most types of women’s CM were related to a sharper decrease over time in sexual satisfaction. Men and women’s emotional abuse and neglect, and women’s sexual abuse, were associated with lower initial levels of sexual function. Men and women’s emotional neglect and women’s emotional abuse were related to higher initial levels of sexual distress. Women’s sexual abuse was associated with a steeper increase in sexual distress. In terms of partner effects, women’s emotional neglect was associated with lower initial levels of partner sexual satisfaction, and women’s emotional abuse and neglect, with lower initial levels of partner sexual function. Greater relationship satisfaction buffered some of these negative effects. Given that sexual well-being requires a context in which the individual feels safe, all forms of CM may affect sexual well-being, although a satisfying relationship may buffer some of these effects.
... There is also conflicting evidence regarding the extent to which the co-occurrence of conflict and sex impacts relationship outcomes. Although relationship conflict is associated with poorer mood (for a review, see Fincham & Beach, 1999) and poorer relationship satisfaction (e.g., Karney & Bradbury, 1995;Kluwer & Johnson, 2007;McGonagle, Kessler, & Gotlib, 1993), sex is associated with more positive mood (Burleson et al., 2007;Debrot, Meuwly, Muise, Impett, & Schoebi, 2017;Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & Mcknight, 2017) and relationship satisfaction Muise, Impett, & Desmarais, 2013). Thus, it is possible that, sex that co-occurs with conflict reduces conflict's negative effects and helps buffer its overall impact on that day's relationship functioning. ...
Although conflict and sex frequently occur in relationships, little research has examined their interconnectedness. Some evidence suggests their co-occurrence can benefit relationships, whereas other evidence suggests the opposite. We sought to clarify such contrasting evidence by conducting a dyadic daily-diary study of 107 newlywed couples that included a 6-month follow-up assessment. Although conflict (operationalized as one partner doing something the other did not like) was unassociated with the likelihood of sex on a given day, it predicted a lower likelihood the following day. Moreover, despite the fact that sex co-occurring with (vs. occurring independent of) conflict was less enjoyable, it partially reduced the negative effects of conflict on both spouses’ daily relationship quality. The extent to which sex and conflict co-occurred was unassociated with intimates’ changes in marital satisfaction 6 months later. The implications of engaging in post-conflict sex are nuanced: although such sex is less enjoyable, it temporarily buffers relationship quality in that moment.
... Since sexual dysfunction neither is a cause of death nor of great expenses to society, research on such dysfunctions is not necessarily of high priority. Nevertheless, sexual activities have been reported to positively contribute to human well-being, as assessed by different types of questionnaires (Blanchflower and Oswald, 2004;Cheng and Smyth, 2015;Kashdan et al., 2018). Disorders of sexual function can lead to reduced quality of life (Hisasue et al., 2005;Rosen and Bachmann, 2008;Rosen et al., 2009). ...
Sexual behavior is activated by motivation. An overwhelming majority of experimental studies of the intricacies of sexual motivation has been performed in rodents, most of them in rats. Sometimes it is desirable to generalize results obtained in this species to other species, particularly the human. It is hoped that studies of the neurobiology of rodent sexual behavior may shed light on the central nervous mechanisms operating in the human, and the search for efficient pharmacological treatments of human sexual dysfunctions relies partly on studies performed in rodents. Then the issue of generalizability of the rodent data to the human becomes crucial. We emphasize the importance of distinguishing between copulatory acts, behavior involving the genitals, and the preceding event, the establishment of physical contact with a potential mate. Comparisons between the structure of copulatory behavior in rats and humans show abysmal differences, but there may be some similarity in the underlying mechanisms. The endocrine control of sex behavior is shortly mentioned, and we also compare the effects of the few drugs known to affect both rodent and human copulatory behavior. The stimuli activating sexual motivation, often called desire in the human literature, are examined, and the sexual approach behaviors in rats and humans are compared. There is a striking similarity between these species in how these behaviors respond to drugs. It is then shown that the intensity of sexual approach is unrelated to the intensity of copulatory behavior. Even though the approach is a requisite for copulation, an activity that requires at least two individuals in close physical contact, these two aspects of sexuality do not covary. This is similar to the role of the testosterone in men and male rats: although the hormone is needed for sex behavior, there is no correlation between serum testosterone concentration and the intensity of copulation. It is also pointed out that human sexual behavior is mostly determined by social conventions, whereas this is not the case in rats and other rodents. It is concluded that some observations in rats can be generalized to the human, but extreme caution must be exercised.
... Conceptual work and empirical studies have provided insights into, for example, how and why older long-term partners often exhibit similarities and close interrelations in key health and psychosocial factors, including cognitive functioning (Berg, Schindler, Smith, Skinner, & Beveridge, 2011), well-being (Bookwala & Schulz, 1996, and blood pressure (Peek & Markides, 2003; for overview, see Hoppmann & Gerstorf, 2016). In a similar vein, a growing body of research has helped us to better understand sexual and intimate functioning in earlier adulthood and how this relates to other aspects of daily life, including daily stress (Ditzen, Hoppmann, & Klumb, 2008), biomarkers (Light, Grewen, & Amico, 2005), and emotions (Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2018). However, we know little about sexuality and intimacy in old age and how these are related to key resources for successful aging, such as good physical health and social embeddedness, that, for example, help older adults maintain functional capacities and engage with life in old age (Baltes & Baltes, 1990;Rowe & Kahn, 1997). ...
Research on close relationships in later life has received increased attention over the past decade. However, little is known about sexuality and intimacy in old age. Using cross-sectional data from the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II; Mage = 68 years, SD = 3.68; 50% women; N = 1,514), we examine age differences in behavioral (sexual activity), cognitive (sexual thoughts), and emotional (intimacy) facets of sexuality and investigate associations with physical health and psychosocial resources for successful aging. Older age was associated with less sexual activity and fewer sexual thoughts, but not with differences in intimacy. Relative to a reference sample of 22- to 36-year-olds within BASE-II (N = 475), the average older adult reported considerably fewer sexual activity and thoughts (ds > .60), but only slightly lower intimacy (d = .20). Substantial heterogeneity existed among older adults, with almost one third of the 60- to 82-year-olds reporting more sexual activity and thoughts than the average younger adult. Examining correlates of sexuality among older adults revealed that, covarying for diagnosed illnesses and performance-based grip strength, psychosocial factors (e.g., partnered, relationship satisfaction) accounted for considerable shares of variance in sexual activity and intimacy, whereas age and gender explained more of the variance in sexual thoughts. Some psychosocial factors exhibited similar-sized associations with all sexuality facets, whereas other factors operated in more facet-specific ways. To illustrate, participants reporting more loneliness also reported less sexual activity and less intimacy, but not fewer sexual thoughts. We discuss implications of our findings for theories of successful aging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
... People differ grossly in their threshold for sexual activation and sexual conduct, due to an interplay of sex hormone levels, learned habits, and different moral reasoning. However, differences among individuals in sexual lust, and their implications, remain understudied in research of personality and its disorders, as well as in psychopathology more broadly (Forbes et al., 2017;Kashdan et al., 2018) -despite the historical legacy of C. Darwin and S. Freud. CARE is a prerequisite for attachment behavior. ...
Theories of personality and its disorders need, from time to time, to be revised and updated according to new empirical and conceptual developments. Such development has taken place in the realms of affective neuroscience, evolution, and social cognition. In this article, we outline a new personality theory, which claims that phenomena we usually ascribe to the concept personality are best understood by postulating a web consisting of three major constituents: temperament (mainly primary emotions), attachment, and self-consciousness (mentalizing). We describe these constituents, their neurobiological underpinnings, the subjective experiences they evoke, and their behavioral implications. We discuss the relevance of the espoused theory in the field of personality disorders with references to borderline, narcissistic, and avoidant personality disorders as well as the DSM-5 alternative model. Implications for social psychology, psychotherapy, and common sense self-understanding are outlined. The theory aims to bridge previous contradictions between natural sciences and hermeneutics by its propositions of the evolution of self-consciousness.
... Sexual activity interacts with the menstrual cycle to alter immune responses (E. coli and C. albicans), such that sex might reduce immune function to avoid interfering with foreign (sperm) activity (Lorenz, Heiman, & Demas, 2017). Sex also appears to decrease stress the following day in satisfying romantic relationships (Ein-Dor & Hirschberger, 2012), improve mood and feelings of meaning in life (Kashdan, Goodman, Stiksma, Milius, & McKnight, 2017), and increase job satisfaction and engagement (Leavitt, Barnes, Watkins, & Wagner, 2017). The effects of sexual rewards appear to extend outside sexual behaviors, but such effects are poorly documented. ...
Sexual responses are some of the strongest, primary rewards used in
research and, arguably, in nature. Sexual response often is considered only in isolation as a reflection of good general health or relevant solely for reproduction. Yet, altered responsiveness to sexual rewards is evident in a number of affective disorders not limited to sexual difficulties. The chapter reviews how sexual responses are affected in general emotional disorders, then attempts to distinguish these, often unsuccessfully, from related sexual difficulties.
Why do people fall in love? Does passion fade with time? What makes for a happy, healthy relationship? This introduction to relationship science follows the lifecycle of a relationship – from attraction and initiation, to the hard work of relationship maintenance, to dissolution and ways to strengthen a relationship. Designed for advanced undergraduates studying psychology, communication or family studies, this textbook presents a fresh, diversity-infused approach to relationship science. It includes real-world examples and critical-thinking questions, callout boxes that challenge students to make connections, and researcher interviews that showcase the many career paths of relationship scientists. Article Spotlights reveal cutting-edge methods, while Diversity and Inclusion boxes celebrate the variety found in human love and connection. Throughout the book, students see the application of theory and come to recognize universal themes in relationships as well as the nuances of many findings. Instructors can access lecture slides, an instructor manual, and test banks.
Introduction and hypothesisPreclinical studies have shown that neuromodulation can increase vaginal blood perfusion, but the effect on vulvar blood perfusion is unknown. We hypothesized that pudendal and tibial nerve stimulation could evoke an increase in vulvar blood perfusion.Methods
We used female Sprague–Dawley rats for non-survival procedures under urethane anesthesia. We measured perineal blood perfusion in response to 20-minute periods of pudendal and tibial nerve stimulation using laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI). After a thoracic-level spinalization and a rest period, we repeated each stimulation trial. We calculated average blood perfusion before, during, and after stimulation for three perineal regions (vulva, anus, and inner thigh), for each nerve target and spinal cord condition.ResultsWe observed a significant increase in vulvar, anal, and inner thigh blood perfusion during pudendal nerve stimulation in spinally intact and spinalized rats. Tibial nerve stimulation had no effect on perineal blood perfusion for both spinally intact and spinalized rats.Conclusions
This is the first study to examine vulvar hemodynamics with LSCI in response to nerve stimulation. This study demonstrates that pudendal nerve stimulation modulates vulvar blood perfusion, indicating the potential of pudendal neuromodulation to improve genital blood flow as a treatment for women with sexual dysfunction. This study provides further support for neuromodulation as a treatment for women with sexual arousal disorders. Studies in unanesthetized animal models of genital arousal disorders are needed to obtain further insights into the mechanisms of neural control over genital hemodynamics.
A “psycho-axiological” model is presented that addresses both the psychological question of subjective “life-meaning” and the philosophical question of “the meaning of life.” The author establishes the relationship between 14 essential “modes of mind” and human values and shows how these modes provide the basis for philosophical theories of the meaning of life and psychological research concerning life-meaning. It is argued that life-meaning involves the actualization of values associated with one or more of the modes of mind and that, because at least certain values are objective, transcultural, and trans-world, such actualization comprises the meaning of life.
Purpose of Review
The purpose of this paper is to open a discussion of the ethics of medical sexual health education (SHE) and its provision in medical education. The paper utilizes a qualitative analysis of currently available literature on medical SHE and a medical ethics framework of the four prima facie principles of (1) respect for autonomy, (2) beneficence, (3) non-maleficence, and (4) justice, together with expert opinion. The result is a review of the ethics of medical SHE as well as the ethics of the decision to provide, or not to provide, comprehensive SHE.
Recent Findings
Recent literature has underscored the many ways in which comprehensive medical SHE supports trainees’ ability to provide sexual health care and improve their delivery of general health care, as well as the many ways sexual health is correlated with systemic health. The literature also provides evidence that the provision of comprehensive SHE is limited in undergraduate and graduate medical education. There is a dearth of literature specifically examining the ethics of medical SHE provision.
Summary
This analysis demonstrates the ways in which comprehensive medical SHE and its provision conforms with the principles of the ethical practice of medicine. The analysis also supports that a lack of inclusion of SHE in medical education programs may be a violation of these principles and increases the risk of future unethical practice by medical professionals.
MESH Headings: Ethics, Medical, Social justice, Sexual health, Sexuality, Human, Education, Medical, Undergraduate, Education, Medical, Graduate
Despite the fact that most Autistics are interested in having intimate and sexual relationships, they typically receive little or no sexuality education. Given the importance of sexuality education in reducing risk for abuse and improving quality of life, school professionals who wish to support postsecondary transitions for Autistic youth need to be informed about and support the provision of sexuality education for their Autistic students. We review the concept of sex positivity and its unique importance in creating a supportive climate for Autistic students. We also address the scant research on sexuality education for Autistic people as well as focused interventions addressing sexuality-related issues that have been empirically examined with Autistic people. We conclude by providing recommendations and resources that we generated based on the limited literature available paired with clinical expertise to support school psychologists and other school professionals so they can begin expanding their scope of competence in this critical but often overlooked topic.Keywordssexuality educationsex positivityLGBTQ+abuse
Sexual satisfaction plays an important role in relationship, mental, and even physical health. Activities that produce a state of flow create meaning in people’s lives. Although people who report high levels of sexual satisfaction describe their sex lives as being very meaningful, there is little research on the relationship between sexual satisfaction and flow. This study sought to address this gap. One hundred participants who were in monogamous relationships completed an online survey consisting of two questionnaires—the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale and the Core Dispositional Flow State Scale. We used partial least square structural equation modeling approach to examine the association between flow and sexual satisfaction. We found that flow was a statistically significant positive predictor of both partner-focused and personal sexual satisfaction. Our results indicate that there are no statistically significant gender differences.
Sex is a crucial factor that impacts the quality and stability of relationships, yet many couples report recurrent sexual issues – such as discrepancies in their desired sexual frequency or levels of sexual desire – that detract from their relationship quality. This article describes how applying the theory of communal motivation from relationship science to the sexual domain of relationships can shed light onto understanding how couples can maintain desire over time, remain satisfied in the face of conflicting sexual interests, and decline one another’s sexual advances in ways that protect their relationship. We integrate a decade of research on communal motivation, sexual rejection, and responses to sexual rejection to provide a better, and more holistic, understanding of how partners can successfully balance their sexual needs to ultimately reap the powerful rewards of a fulfiling sexual connection.
Sexual victimization in adulthood (SVA; i.e. sexual assault, sexual violence within an intimate relationship) is related to negative effects such as psychological distress and lower sexual adjustment. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms at work within this relationship. This study examined the role of disclosure, social reactions and psychological distress in the relationship between SVA and sexual adjustment (i.e. sexual satisfaction and sexual difficulties). A sample of 474 adults from the general population completed an online survey. Results indicated that 16% of the sample reported SVA. Among this subgroup of victims, 64% (n = 49) experienced positive social reactions following disclosure, while 17% (n = 13) did not disclose and 19% (n = 15) experienced negative social reactions following disclosure. Compared to other groups, victims who report negative social reactions show higher psychological distress and lower sexual adjustment than other subgroups of victims or non-victims. In contrast, victims reporting positive reactions expressed equivalent levels of psychological distress and sexual satisfaction than non-victims. Using path analyses, an integrative model revealed that SVA with associated disclosure and social reactions was directly and indirectly related to sexual adjustment through psychological distress. Results highlight the central importance of social reactions following disclosure of victims.
Regular positive sexual interactions are one reason why relationships have health and well-being benefits, yet low sexual desire is among the most common sexual problems reported by women. One interpersonal factor that has been associated with greater sexual desire and satisfaction in community couples is self-expansion (i.e., expanding one’s sense of self through novel, exciting, and broadening activities with a partner). In the current study, we recruited 97 couples in which the woman was diagnosed with clinically low sexual desire to test how self-expansion was associated with both partners’ sexual and relationship well-being. When women with low desire reported higher self-expansion, they reported greater relationship and sexual satisfaction, higher desire, and couples were more affectionate. When their partners reported higher self-expansion, they felt more satisfied with their sex life and relationship (and so did the women), lower sexual distress and less relationship conflict, and couples were more affectionate. Our findings suggest that self-expansion is associated with greater relationship and sexual well-being for couples with low desire, as well as less sexual distress and relationship conflict. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Following the advent of modern positive psychology, there has been a surge of empirical research on strengths and a call for incorporating strengths into clinical models of psychopathology. In this review, we conceptualize strengths as a subset of personality traits and dissect the criteria used to define strengths. In hopes of improving theoretical models of strengths, we reconsider the personal choice to deploy strengths, the implications of strength use for well-being, and the costs of over-relying on particular strengths. As an illustration, we critically examine a new model of strengths with suggestions for defining, measuring, and developing interventions for strengths. These insights are offered to encourage critical examination of the conditions under which strengths best facilitate well-being.
"By now, it has become a bromide that the U.S. constitution and culture are built on the pursuit of happiness (Myers, 1992). According to this political philosophy, government should allow citizens to strive towards their own conception of happiness, and should assist them as much as possible to reach this goal. In return, citizens ought to make the most of the opportunity, ultimately contributing to the common good of all. The enduring appeal of this American ideal rests on the very plausible assumption that happiness is the fundamental objective of all human effort and activity, in all cultures, whether people are aware of it or not. By taking action, humans aim towards more positive conditions and feelings than they currently experience, or towards more positive future feelings than what they might otherwise experience if they failed to act (Carver & Scheier, 1998). Accordingly, becoming happier is not only a hugely popular topic on the self-help shelves, it is increasingly becoming a stated policy goal of world governments, with the gross national happiness of the country (rather than its gross domestic product) as the primary quantity to be maximized "
To advance meaning in life (MIL) research, it is crucial to integrate it with the broader meaning literature, which includes important additional concepts (e.g., meaning frameworks) and principles (e.g., terror management). A tripartite view, which conceptualizes MIL as consisting of 3 subconstructs—comprehension, purpose, and mattering—may facilitate such integration. Here, we outline how a tripartite view may relate to key concepts from within MIL research (e.g., MIL judgments and feelings) and within the broader meaning research (e.g., meaning frameworks, meaning making). On the basis of this framework, we review the broader meaning literature to derive a theoretical context within which to understand and conduct further research on comprehension, purpose, and mattering. We highlight how future research may examine the interrelationships among the 3 MIL subconstructs, MIL judgments and feelings, and meaning frameworks.
Is it true that engaging in more frequent sex is associated with greater well-being? The media emphasizes—and research supports—the claim that the more sex you have, the happier you will feel. Across three studies (N = 30,645), we demonstrate that the association between sexual frequency and well-being is best described by a curvilinear (as opposed to a linear) association where sex is no longer associated with well-being at a frequency of more than once a week. In Study 1, the association between sexual frequency and well-being is only significant for people in relationships. In Studies 2 and 3, which included only people in relationships, sexual frequency had a curvilinear association with relationship satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction mediated the association between sexual frequency and well-being. For people in relationships, sexual frequency is no longer significantly associated with well-being at a frequency greater than once a week.
There is currently no consensus on how to study psychological situations, and situation research is still riddled with problems of conceptualization (What is a situation, what is it not?) and measurement (How can situational information be assessed?). This target article formulates three core principles (with corollaries) to provide a foundation for psychological situation research: The Processing, Reality, and Circularity Principles. These principles build upon each other, ranging from basic to more complex issues (e.g., how to study situations in both objective and subjective terms). They are intended to guide and spur more coherent research programs that produce cumulative knowledge on psychological situations. We conclude with a plea for real-life, multi-method, multi-situation, multi-time, multi-group designs that can illuminate the interwoven dynamics between persons (with their personalities and behavior) and situations.
Psychological theories prioritize developing enduring sources of meaning in life. As such, unstable meaning should be detrimental to well-being. Two daily experience sampling studies were conducted to test this hypothesis. Across the studies, people with greater instability of daily meaning reported lower daily levels of meaning in life, and lower global levels of life satisfaction, positive affect, social connectedness and relationship satisfaction, along with higher global levels of negative affect and depression. In addition, instability of meaning interacted with average daily levels of meaning to account for significant variance in meaning in life scores. Relative to people with more stable meaning, people with unstable meaning tended to score near the middle of the distribution of well-being, whether they reported high or low levels of daily meaning. Results are discussed with an eye toward a better understanding of meaning in life and developing interventions to stabilize and maximize well-being.
Pleasure has long been implicated as an important aspect of happiness. Unfortunately, the study of pleasure in the science of happiness has largely been relegated to positive affective states. While pleasure and affect are difficult to disentangle there is, we argue, utility in examining pleasure on its own merits rather than using proxy measures such as those of positive affect. Relatively little research exists directly connecting sensual pleasures and similar pleasurable experiences with happiness. In this research, we used a large international sample (N = 229,728) to explore individual and cross-national differences in pleasure. In particular, we examined the dominant pleasure profiles of nations as well as the relations of personality, gender and age to pleasure variables. These pleasure profiles were drawn from an examination of distinct pleasure leanings including those associated with taste, touch, smell, sight, hearing, achievement, relaxation, social connection and thrills. Our findings reveal significant relationships between personality, gender, age and culture—respectively—with pleasure. The specific relationships are discussed in detail.
The rapid growth of the literature on positive interventions to increase “happiness” suggests the need for an overarching conceptual framework to integrate the many and apparently disparate findings. In this review, we use the process model of emotion regulation (Gross, 1998) to organize the existing literature on positive interventions and to advance theory by clarifying the mechanisms underlying their effectiveness. We propose that positive emotions can be increased both in the short- and longer-term through five families of emotion regulation strategies (i.e., situation selection, situation modification, attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation), and we show how these emotion regulation strategies can be applied before, during, and after positive emotional events. Regarding short-term increases in positive emotions, our review indicates that attentional deployment, cognitive change, and response modulation strategies have received the most empirical support, whereas more work is needed to establish the effectiveness of situation selection and situation modification strategies. Regarding longer-term increases in positive emotions, strategies such as situation selection during an event and attentional deployment before, during, and after an event have received strong empirical support and are at the center of many positive interventions. However, more work is needed to establish the specific benefits of the other strategies, especially situation modification. We argue that our emotion regulation framework clarifies existing interventions and points the way for new interventions that might be used to increase positive emotions in both non-clinical and clinical populations.
The sexual system evolved to motivate reproductive acts. As such, its manifestations (e.g., sexual desire and behavior) are not necessarily related to emotional attachments. Still, within romantic relationships, sexual desire can motivate the attachment bonding process and lead to intensely meaningful experiences that affect the quality of a relationship and its fate. In this article, we review published evidence indicating that sex promotes enduring bonds between sexual partners. We then introduce a relationship stage model that delineates the functional significance of sexual desire in relationship development. This model suggests that although sexual desire influences the initiation, development, and maintenance of attachment bonds, the contribution that it makes varies over the course of relationship development and across individuals and circumstances.
This study explored gender differences in young adult heterosexual men's and women's experiences, beliefs, and concerns regarding the occurrence or nonoccurrence of orgasm during sexual interactions, with emphasis on the absence of female orgasm during intercourse. Qualitative reports were obtained from five female focus groups (N = 24, M age = 19.08) and five male focus groups (N = 21, M age = 19.29), involving three to five participants per group. Transcripts of the discussions were analyzed for emerging themes across focus group discussions. Results indicated that, for both male and female participants, the most common concern regarding lack of female orgasm in a partnered context focused on the negative impact this might have on the male partner's ego. Male and female participants also agreed that men have the physical responsibility to stimulate their female partner to orgasm, while women have the psychological responsibility of being mentally prepared to experience the orgasm. Men and women tended to maintain different beliefs, however, regarding clitoral stimulation during intercourse, as well as the importance of female orgasm for a woman's sexual satisfaction in a partnered context. Findings suggest foci for sexual education.
The current research tested a model proposed by Baumeister and Bratslavsky (1999) suggesting that passion’s association with intimacy is best understood as being linked with changes in intimacy over time. Within this framework, when intimacy shows relatively large and rapid increases, levels of passion should be high. When intimacy remains unchanged over time, levels of passionate experience should be low. To test this hypothesis, 67 heterosexual couples involved in long-term relationships completed daily measures of intimacy, passion, and sexual satisfaction for 21 consecutive days. Analyses guided by the actor–partner interdependence model (Kenny, Kashy, & Cook, 2006) demonstrated that day-to-day changes in intimacy for both partners predicted relationship passion, sexual frequency, and sexual satisfaction in a manner conforming to Baumeister and Bratslavksy’s model. These results represent the first empirical support for this model of intimacy and passionate experience.
Aristotle proposed that to achieve happiness and success, people should cultivate virtues at mean or intermediate levels between deficiencies and excesses. In stark contrast to this assertion that virtues have costs at high levels, a wealth of psychological research has focused on demonstrating the well-being and performance benefits of positive traits, states, and experiences. This focus has obscured the prevalence and importance of nonmonotonic inverted-U-shaped effects, whereby positive phenomena reach inflection points at which their effects turn negative. We trace the evidence for nonmonotonic effects in psychology and provide recommendations for conceptual and empirical progress. We conclude that for psychology in general and positive psychology in particular, Aristotle's idea of the mean may serve as a useful guide for developing both a descriptive and a prescriptive account of happiness and success.
© The Author(s) 2011.
Theory and research suggest that people can increase their happiness through simple intentional positive activities, such as expressing gratitude or practicing kindness. Investigators have recently begun to study the optimal conditions under which positive activities increase happiness and the mechanisms by which these effects work. According to our positive-activity model, features of positive activities (e.g., their dosage and variety), features of persons (e.g., their motivation and effort), and person-activity fit moderate the effect of positive activities on well-being. Furthermore, the model posits four mediating variables: positive emotions, positive thoughts, positive behaviors, and need satisfaction. Empirical evidence supporting the model and future directions are discussed.
There has been increasing interest in the measurement of hedonic well-being (HWB), due in part to its broad implications in areas such as health and society. The day reconstruction method (DRM) is a validated technique assessing HWB and daily activities using instructions that help respondents recover their experiences from the previous day, thus reducing recall bias. Unfortunately, large-scale surveys are typically not able to implement the time-consuming DRM procedure; instead, they rely on single-item or very brief questionnaire assessment of HWB and time usage. Despite their wide use, brief questionnaires have rarely been compared to the DRM, which could provide validation of these short assessments. In the present study we compared these two questionnaire formats in 45 adults who completed both a DRM and a “hybrid” short form (HSF) questionnaire that included a very brief procedure to reconstruct yesterday’s events. Results were that the mean HSF ratings tended to overestimate HWB in comparison to the DRM, though effects were generally small to moderate. With regard to estimates of time spent on daily activities, the HSF also differed from the DRM, though with generally small to moderate effects. Correlations between estimates indicated that the HSF explained an average of almost half the variance in the DRM ratings for both HWB (rs ranging from .52 to .97) and time use (rs ranging from .43 to .85). In general, HSF ratings displayed considerable overlap with those of the DRM though the brief instructions apparently did not eliminate recall bias in the shorter questionnaire.
Despite the increased attention that researchers have paid to social anxiety disorder (SAD), compared with other anxiety and mood disorders, relatively little is known about the emotional and social factors that distinguish individuals who meet diagnostic criteria from those who do not. In this study, participants with and without a diagnosis of SAD (generalized subtype) described their daily face-to-face social interactions for 2 weeks using handheld computers. We hypothesized that, compared with healthy controls, individuals diagnosed with SAD would experience fewer positive emotions, rely more on experiential avoidance (of anxiety), and have greater self-control depletion (feeling mentally and physically exhausted after socializing), after accounting for social anxiety, negative emotions, and feelings of belonging during social interactions. We found that compared with healthy controls, individuals with SAD experienced weaker positive emotions and greater experiential avoidance, but there were no differences in self-control depletion between groups. Moreover, the differences we found could not be attributed to comorbid anxiety or depressive disorders. Our results suggest that negative emotions alone do not fully distinguish normal from pathological social anxiety, and that assessing social anxiety disorder should include impairments in positive emotional experiences and dysfunctional emotion regulation (in the form of experiential avoidance) in social situations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2013 APA, all rights reserved).
In this chapter, I focus mainly on the role of sex as a promoter of emotional bonds between partners, and I discuss the role of attachment processes in the association between sexuality and relationship quality. The chapter begins with a brief overview of the literature on the contribution of intimate contact to attachment formation. I then describe potential mechanisms that promote proximity seeking and extended contact, and I review published evidence that indicates that sexual desire may serve as such a mechanism. Next, I discuss the role of sex in enhancing the emotional bond between sexual partners and present findings from studies on sex-related motives and cognitions that provide support for the proposed link between sex and attachment. I also introduce a model of the functional significance of sex that has guided most of my research on sexuality in romantic relationships. In doing so, I review findings that show how individual differences in attachment orientation help to explain variations in the role sex plays in attachment formation and maintenance across different stages of relationship development. I conclude by discussing promising directions for future research.
Context While recent pharmacological advances have generated increased public interest and demand for clinical services regarding erectile dysfunction, epidemiologic data on sexual dysfunction are relatively scant for both women and men. Objective To assess the prevalence and risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction across various social groups and examine the determinants and health consequences of these disorders. Design Analysis of data from the National Health and Social Life Survey, a probability sample study of sexual behavior in a demographically representative, 1992 cohort of US adults. Participants A national probability sample of 1749 women and 1410 men aged 18 to 59 years at the time of the survey. Main Outcome Measures Risk of experiencing sexual dysfunction as well as negative concomitant outcomes. Results Sexual dysfunction is more prevalent for women (43%) than men (31%) and is associated with various demographic characteristics, including age and educational attainment. Women of different racial groups demonstrate different patterns of sexual dysfunction. Differences among men are not as marked but generally consistent with women. Experience of sexual dysfunction is more likely among women and men with poor physical and emotional health. Moreover, sexual dysfunction is highly associated with negative experiences in sexual relationships and overall wellbeing. Conclusions The results indicate that sexual dysfunction is an important public health concern, and emotional problems likely contribute to the experience of these problems.
"Hookups," or uncommitted sexual encounters, are becoming progressively more engrained in popular culture, reflecting both evolved sexual predilections and changing social and sexual scripts. Hook-up activities may include a wide range of sexual behaviors, such as kissing, oral sex, and penetrative intercourse. However, these encounters often transpire without any promise of, or desire for, a more traditional romantic relationship. A review of the literature suggests that these encounters are becoming increasingly normative among adolescents and young adults in North America, representing a marked shift in openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex. We reviewed the current literature on sexual hookups and considered the multiple forces influencing hookup culture, using examples from popular culture to place hooking up in context. We argue that contemporary hookup culture is best understood as the convergence of evolutionary and social forces during the developmental period of emerging adulthood. We suggest that researchers must consider both evolutionary mechanisms and social processes, and be considerate of the contemporary popular cultural climate in which hookups occur, in order to provide a comprehensive and synergistic biopsychosocial view of "casual sex" among emerging adults today.
In recent years, well-being researchers have distinguished between eudaimonic happiness (e.g., meaning and purpose; taking part in activities that allow for the actualization of one's skills, talents, and potential) and hedonic happiness (e.g., high frequencies of positive affect, low frequencies of negative affect, and evaluating life as satisfying). Unfortunately, this distinction (rooted in philosophy) does not necessarily translate well to science. Among the problems of drawing too sharp a line between ‘types of happiness’ is the fact that eudaimonia is not well-defined and lacks consistent measurement. Moreover, empirical evidence currently suggests that hedonic and eudaimonic well-being overlap conceptually, and may represent psychological mechanisms that operate together. In this article, we outline the problems and costs of distinguishing between two types of happiness, and provide detailed recommendations for a research program on well-being with greater scientific precision.The purpose of life is to be happy. The Dalai LamaYou will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. Albert CamusAnd they all lived happily ever after. The Brothers Grimm
Three studies examined the meaning ascribed to events varying in intensity and valence and how meaning detection and construction relate to the experience of meaning in life events. In Study 1, participants were more likely to expect meaning to emerge from major life events particularly if they are negative, while trivial events were expected to be meaningful if they were positive. Study 2 showed that constructed meaning was more likely to occur in response to negative events while detected meaning was more likely to be associated with positive events. Study 3 showed that this ‘match’ between valence and meaning strategy predicted enhanced experience of meaning in those events. These studies suggest that the more subtle experience of meaning detection may provide a way to understand the meaning that emerges from positive events and experiences.
This study examined masturbation experience (yes/no), frequency of masturbation in the past three months, and age at initiation of masturbation for 223 undergraduates who completed an anonymous survey. Descriptive, correlational, and regression analyses were conducted and HIV risk was estimated using a mathematical model. Men were significantly more likely than women to have masturbated and reported a significantly greater mean masturbation frequency. For men, greater frequency of masturbation was predicted by perceived social norms supporting this behavior. For women, frequency of masturbation was best predicted by social norms and lifetime number of sex partners, whereas masturbation experience was predicted by perceived pleasure and lifetime number of sex partners. Women who first masturbated at a younger age were at higher risk for HIV. In sum, this study suggests that social norms, perceived pleasure, and sexual behavior are important mediators of masturbation experience and frequency.
In an earlier paper (Kashdan, Biswas-Diener, & King, 2008), we outlined a critique of the distinction being made between eudaimonic and hedonic forms of happiness. That paper seems to have had the desired effect in stimulating discourse on this important subject as evidenced by a number of responses from our colleagues. In this paper, we address these responses collectively. In particular, we outline common intellectual ground with the responding authors as well as points of difference.
The purpose of this paper was to analyze sexual dissatisfaction in couple relationships in Norway. The reasons for sexual dissatisfaction and to what extent dissatisfaction is associated with thoughts of ending the relationship are also discussed. The results are based on 1001 web interviews among persons ranging from 18 to 67 years old, registered in the eBase of the poll organization ‘Synovate’. The analysis was limited to the 797 persons who were married, cohabiting or dating. Of respondents, 62% said they were sexually satisfied with their partner, 23% reported neither being satisfied nor dissatisfied and 15% were dissatisfied. Controlling for gender, age and level of education, sexual dissatisfaction was statistically significantly associated only with low frequency of sex and having children below the age of 12 in the household. Women tended to blame the dissatisfaction with their sex life on their own reduced sexual desire. Men regarded too little creativity in their sex life as the primary cause of dissatisfaction. In men, a boring sex life was the most important reason for considering breaking up with their partner. Women's main reasons for ending the relationship revolved more around arguments with the partner over the division of domestic duties and responsibilities and feeling bored in the relationship.
W. Wilson's (1967) review of the area of subjective well-being (SWB) advanced several conclusions regarding those who report high levels of "happiness." A number of his conclusions have been overturned: youth and modest aspirations no longer are seen as prerequisites of SWB. E. Diener's (1984) review placed greater emphasis on theories that stressed psychological factors. In the current article, the authors review current evidence for Wilson's conclusions and discuss modern theories of SWB that stress dispositional influences, adaptation, goals, and coping strategies. The next steps in the evolution of the field are to comprehend the interaction of psychological factors with life circumstances in producing SWB, to understand the causal pathways leading to happiness, understand the processes underlying adaptation to events, and develop theories that explain why certain variables differentially influence the different components of SWB (life satisfaction, pleasant affect, and unpleasant affect). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Counseling psychologists often work with clients to increase their well-being as well as to decrease their distress. One important aspect of well-being, highlighted particularly in humanistic theories of the counseling process, is perceived meaning in life. However, poor measurement has hampered research on meaning in life. In 3 studies, evidence is provided for the internal consistency, temporal stability, factor structure, and validity of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ), a new 10-item measure of the presence of, and the search for, meaning in life. A multitrait-multimethod matrix demonstrates the convergent and discriminant validity of the MLQ subscales across time and informants, in comparison with 2 other meaning scales. The MLQ offers several improvements over current meaning in life measures, including no item overlap with distress measures, a stable factor structure, better discriminant validity, a briefer format, and the ability to measure the search for meaning.
This study examined the validity of the Interpersonal Exchange Model of Sexual Satisfaction (IEMSS) in long-term, heterosexual sexual relationships. The IEMSS proposes that sexual satisfaction depends on one's levels of rewards and costs in the sexual relationship, one's comparison levels (CL) for rewards/costs, and one's perceptions of the dyadic equality (EQ) of these rewards/costs. Sexual satisfaction is expected to be greater to the extent that, over time, levels of rewards (REW) exceed levels of costs (CST), relative reward levels (CLREW) exceed relative cost levels (CLcst), and interpersonal equality of rewards (EQrew) and of costs (EQCST) is perceived to exist. Married/cohabiting community volunteers and university alumni/staff completed two questionnaires, 3 months apart. The results obtained from this well-educated, relationally satisfied sample (N= 143) provided excellent support for the IEMSS. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that each component of the model (REW - CST, CLrew - CLcst, and EQrew, EQcst) added to the prediction of sexual satisfaction as expected, accounting for 75% of the variance. Repeated measurement of the IEMSS components offered a better prediction of sexual satisfaction than a one-time measure alone. Neither gender nor relationship satisfaction interacted with the IEMSS components. However, including relationship satisfaction (but not gender) in the model significantly improved the prediction of sexual satisfaction. It was concluded that the model should be revised to include relationship satisfaction. Both the exchange components of the IEMSS and sexual satisfaction uniquely predicted relationship satisfaction. The IEMSS offers a promising approach for understanding sexual satisfaction and its relationship to relationship satisfaction, as well as for reconciling inconsistent findings in the literature.
Perceptions of marital interactions were gathered from a representative sample of urban newlywed couples (199 Black and 174 White). A factor analysis of the reports found 6 factors common to husbands and wives: Disclosing Communication, Affective Affirmation, Negative Sexual Interaction, Traditional Role Regulation, Destructive Conflict, and Constructive Conflict. Avoiding Conflict was specific to men and Positive Coorientation was specific to women. Wives reported fewer constructive and more destructive conflict behaviors. Compared with Whites, Blacks reported more disclosure, more positive sexual interactions, and fewer topics of disagreement. They also more often reported leaving the scene of conflict and talking with others more easily than with the spouse. As hypothesized, perceptions that marital interactions affirm one's sense of identity strongly predicted marital well-being. Although regression analyses predicting marital happiness yielded few interactions with race or gender, those that are significant, coupled with race and gender differences in perceiving interaction, suggest taking a contextual orientation to the meaning of marital interaction.
Psychologists, self-help gurus, and parents all work to make their clients, friends, and children happier. Recent research indicates that happiness is functional and generally leads to success. However, most people are already above neutral in happiness, which raises the question of whether higher levels of happiness facilitate more effective functioning than do lower levels. Our analyses of large survey data and longitudinal data show that people who experience the highest levels of happiness are the most successful in terms of close relationships and volunteer work, but that those who experience slightly lower levels of happiness are the most successful in terms of income, education, and political participation. Once people are moderately happy, the most effective level of happiness appears to depend on the specific outcomes used to define success, as well as the resources that are available. © 2007, Association for Psychological Science. All rights reserved.
A large international sample was used to test whether hedonia (the experience of positive emotional states and satisfaction of desires) and eudaimonia (the presence of meaning and development of one's potentials) represent 1 overarching well-being construct or 2 related dimensions. A latent correlation of .96 presents negligible evidence for the discriminant validity between Diener's (1984) subjective well-being model of hedonia and Ryff's (1989) psychological well-being model of eudaimonia. When compared with known correlates of well-being (e.g., curiosity, gratitude), eudaimonia and hedonia showed very similar relationships, save goal-directed will and ways (i.e., hope), a meaning orientation to happiness, and grit. Identical analyses in subsamples of 7 geographical world regions revealed similar results around the globe. A single overarching construct more accurately reflects hedonia and eudaimonia when measured as self-reported subjective and psychological well-being. Nevertheless, measures of eudaimonia may contain aspects of meaningful goal-directedness unique from hedonia. (PsycINFO Database Record
Sexual desire may change according to two principles: the satisfaction principle (high sexual opportunity/frequency decreases sexual desire) and the adaptation principle (high sexual opportunity/frequency increases sexual desire). We explore the workings of these opposing principles separately for both genders across the adult life span. Two tests within a large (N = 181,546) and cross-cultural (11 countries) data set revealed that the satisfaction principle accounts for sexual desire in men throughout the entire life and it accounts for sexual desire in women until their mid-30s. From that point onward, however, the pattern of female sexual desire becomes increasingly consistent with the adaptation principle. What sets older women apart from younger women and men of all ages? We discuss several mechanisms, with a focus on the satisfaction principle's evolutionary value in life phases of high reproductive capacity and the adaptation principle's evolutionary value in life phases of low reproductive capacity.
In this article, the author describes a new theoretical perspective on positive emotions and situates this new perspective within the emerging field of positive psychology. The broaden-and-build theory posits that experiences of positive emotions broaden people's momentary thought-action repertoires, which in turn serves to build their enduring personal resources, ranging from physical and intellectual resources to social and psychological resources. Preliminary empirical evidence supporting the broaden-and-build theory is reviewed, and open empirical questions that remain to be tested are identified. The theory and findings suggest that the capacity to experience positive emotions may be a fundamental human strength central to the study of human flourishing.
Objective
Research on meaning in life has generally focused on global meaning judgments. This study examined how people's daily experiences, represented by events that occur in daily life, influence their perceived sense of meaning on a daily basis.Method
One hundred sixty two college students completed daily reports for two weeks. We examined the relationships among daily social and achievement events, daily positive and negative affect, and daily meaning in life. In addition, we tested the possible moderating influence of depressive symptoms on Research on meaning in life has generally focused on global meaning judgments. This study examined how people's daily experiences, represented by events that occur in daily life, influence their perceived sense of meaning on a daily basis.One hundred sixty two college students completed daily reports for two weeks. We examined the relationships among daily social and achievement events, daily positive and negative affect, and daily meaning in life. In addition, we tested the possible moderating influence of depressive symptomsthese relationships.ResultsPositive daily social and achievement events were related to greater daily meaning, above and beyond the contributions of daily positive and negative affect. Negative social and achievement events were related to less daily meaning, and negative achievement events covaried with daily meaning above and beyond positive and negative affect. Depression moderated the relationships between positive events and meaning, such that people who reported more depressive symptoms had greater increases in daily meaning in response to positive social and achievement events than individuals who reported fewer symptoms.Conclusion
These findings suggest the important role that daily events may play in fluctuations in people's affective experiences and sense of meaning in life.
The study of well-being is hampered by the multiplicity of approaches, but focusing on a single approach begs the question of what “well-being” really is. We analyze how well-being is defined according to the three main kinds of theories: “Liking” approaches (generally adopted by psychologists), “Wanting” approaches (predominant among economists), and “Needing” approaches (used in both public policy and psychology). We propose an integrative framework, the engine model of well-being, drawing on Seligman (Seligman, M. E. P., 2011, Flourish. New York, NY: The Free Press) and Sen's (Sen, A. K., 1999, Development as freedom. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press) emphasis on the plurality of this construct by distinguishing among (a) inputs (resources that enable well-being), (b) processes (internal states of mechanisms influencing well-being), and (c) outcomes (the intrinsically valuable behaviors that reflect the attainment of well-being). We discuss implications for research, measurement, and interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The current investigation examined the relationship between masturbation and body image among 96 women seeking services at a local family planning clinic in a mid-southern U.S. city. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed body image and masturbatory practices. Ethnic differences were found with European American women reporting greater masturbation frequencies and higher rates of body dissatisfaction than African American women. Among European American women, there was a positive relationship between women's sexual self-pleasuring and positive body image. For African American participants, body image was not related to masturbation practice or frequency.
A growing literature attests to deficits in social and romantic life quality in people with elevated social anxiety, but no research to date has explored how intense intimate encounters influence social anxiety symptoms. This study investigated whether the presence and quality of sexual activity on a given day predicted less social anxiety and negative cognitions on a subsequent day. We also explored whether the benefits of sexual activity would be stronger for more socially anxious individuals. Over 21 days, 172 undergraduate students described the presence and quality of sexual activity, social anxiety symptoms, and use of social comparisons on the day in question. Time-lagged analyses determined that being sexually active on one day was related to less social anxiety symptoms and the generation of fewer negative social comparisons the next day. Furthermore, more intense experiences of pleasure and connectedness during sex predicted greater reductions in social anxiety the next day for people high in trait social anxiety, compared to those low in trait social anxiety. These results were similar regardless of whether sex occurred in the context of romantic relationships or on weekdays versus weekends. The results suggest that sexual activity, particularly when pleasurable and intimate, may mitigate some of the social anxiety and negative comparisons frequently experienced by people with high trait social anxiety.
In four methodologically diverse studies (N = 644), we found correlational (Study 1), longitudinal (Study 2), and experimental (Studies 3 and 4) evidence that a sense of belonging predicts how meaningful life is perceived to be. In Study 1 (n = 126), we found a strong positive correlation between sense of belonging and meaningfulness. In Study 2 (n = 248), we found that initial levels of sense of belonging predicted perceived meaningfulness of life, obtained 3 weeks later. Furthermore, initial sense of belonging predicted independent evaluations of participants essays on meaning in life. In Studies 3 (n = 105) and 4 (n = 165), we primed participants with belongingness, social support, or social value and found that those primed with belongingness (Study 3) or who increased in belongingness (Study 4) reported the highest levels of perceived meaning. In Study 4, belonging mediated the relationship between experimental condition and meaning.
This study investigates, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods, the sources of meaning in life of young adult patients and nonpatients. In addition to the exploratory concerns, the current investigation tested the following three predictions: (a) Relationships are the most frequent sources of meaning in life; (b) patients are less committed to their personal meanings than nonpatients; and (c) participants’ degrees of meaning in life, as operationalized with their scores on the Life Regard Index (LRI), are related to the degree of their commitment to their personal meanings. Findings from both the phenomenal and statistical analyses strongly support the predictions and generally confirm the clinical relevance of the meaning in life construct. Notably, the interpersonal dimension appears a critically relevant domain in the established differential effects in both nonpatients-patients and females-males comparisons. Implications for clinical practice and suggestions for future research are offered.
The purposes of this study were, first, to confirm inverse relationships between sex guilt and contraceptive use and attitudes and, second, to demonstrate that guilt regarding masturbation in comparison to sex guilt was a specific inhibitor of diaphragm use. In a sample of 186 single college women, sex guilt accounted for 28% of the variance in nine measures of contraceptive attitudes, thereby confirming the hypothesized inverse relationship. Users of safe, coitus‐independent, contraceptives scored lower on sex guilt than noncontraceptors. Moreover, the safe contraceptors, who used the pill or IUD, scored lower on sex guilt than women who relied on coitus‐dependent methods such as foam, suppositories, or condoms for contraception, which confirmed the second hypothesis. The third hypothesis was that masturbation guilt was inversely correlated with contraceptive attitudes. Including a measure of masturbation guilt along with sex guilt in a hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that masturbation guilt added, as further hypothesized, a significant increment of 4% to the variance in contraceptive attitudes beyond that explained by sex guilt alone. Finally, the use of the diaphragm was shown to be specifically related to masturbation guilt, rather than to sex guilt, as had been hypothesized. Masturbation guilt appears to inhibit the required handling of the genitals for insertion of the diaphragm.
In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)
Meaning in life is widely considered a cornerstone of human functioning, but relatively little is known about the factors that influence judgments of meaning in life. Four studies examined positive affect (PA) and social relatedness as sources of information for meaning in life judgments. Study 1 (N = 150) showed that relatedness need satisfaction (RNS) and PA each shared strong independent links to meaning in life. In Study 2 (N = 63), loneliness moderated the effects of a positive mood induction on meaning in life ratings. In Study 3 (N = 65), priming positive social relationships reduced the contribution of PA to subsequent judgments of meaning in life. In Study 4 (N = 95), relationship primes decreased reliance on PA and increased reliance on RNS compared to dessert primes. Results are discussed in terms of the value of integrating judgment processes in studies of meaning in life.
Research on masturbation has indicated that, contrary to traditional beliefs, masturbation has been found to be a common sexual behavior and linked to indicators of sexual health. While there are no general indicators of ill health associated with masturbation, it can be powerfully negative or positive for many individuals. As an example, it is widely used in sex therapy as a means of improving the sexual health of the individual and/or relationship. Promoting masturbation as a means of a public health strategy for sexual health is highly controversial; however, there are arguments and evidence that suggest that this may be an important part of any public health approach to improving sexual health. There is a need for more research on the impact of masturbation on self-esteem, body image, sexual functioning and sexual satisfaction and methods for using masturbation to promote sexual health. There is also a need for more of a theoretical approach to the formation of hypotheses to be tested.