February 25, 2026 by Justin Lehmiller
Romantic relationships often begin with intense passion before settling into something that feels more predictable and routine. However, this doesn’t mean the partners have fallen out of love. It’s just that the intense spark that initially drew a couple together has faded. Part of the reason for this is because of a decline in novelty....
See Post
February 18, 2026 by Merissa Prine
Most women use a vaginal lubricant at some point in their lives, with many turning to them in order to reduce discomfort and to enhance sexual pleasure and/or satisfaction. In...
Sex Tips
February 11, 2026 by Emily Mendelson
Cars are usually thought of as practical tools: they’re machines that get us from point A to point B. Culturally, however, they’ve also become erotic spaces. From steamy movie scenes...
Fantasies
February 2, 2026 by Merissa Prine
We tend to think of our likes and dislikes as stable. For example, you either like chocolate or you don’t. You either find roses romantic or cliché. But what if...
Potpourri, Psychology
January 26, 2026 by Emily Mendelson
For many people, the idea of planning sex sounds rather unsexy. Planning takes away the spontaneity, and putting sex on the schedule might make it feel like more of a...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
January 19, 2026 by Merissa Prine
Anal sex is often treated as a taboo topic, even for those who engage in it and, at times, amongst healthcare professionals. And this stigma has real consequences. Anal sex...
LGBTQIA+, Safe Sex
January 5, 2026 by Merissa Prine
The New Year is often a time when people set intentions for self-improvement, whether it’s setting a new goal, changing an old habit, or strengthening relationships with important people in...
Dating & Relationships
December 24, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
As 2025 comes to a close, we’re reflecting on some of the dating trends we saw this past year. We’re also discussing what these trends might mean for the dating...
Dating & Relationships
December 18, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Let’s be honest, almost everyone has found themselves scrambling for a last-minute holiday gift at some point. If you’re still searching for a memorable gift for your partner this year,...
Dating & Relationships, Potpourri
December 4, 2025 by Merissa Prine
As this year comes to a close, we’re reflecting on all of the incredible books we’ve covered on the podcast and blog in 2025. We have learned a ton about...
Books & Films
November 26, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Recently, we covered a new study assessing how trends in masturbation have changed over time. This research found that, across gender, the number of people who report having masturbated before...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 20, 2025 by Merissa Prine
If you’re a dedicated reader or listener of Sex and Psychology, you probably already know that we love talking about masturbation, including its history, its common misconceptions, and its many...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 13, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
We are excited to announce that our study abroad program with Sexual Health Alliance is back for 2026! We will be returning to Amsterdam once again, but we’re also offering...
Sex Ed
November 10, 2025 by Merissa Prine
As daylight hours shorten and the weather turns colder, it’s possible that you may have noticed a shift in your overall mood, or that you feel more tired, unmotivated, and...
Psychology
October 29, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Despite the fact that nearly half of the population worldwide will experience menstruation at least once in their lives, we know surprisingly little about what the effects of menstruation actually...
Books & Films, Gender
October 23, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting women of reproductive age. In fact, the World Health Organization has stated that PCOS affects up to...
Sex Ed
October 8, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Halloween is a time when kink aesthetics (think leather, latex, corsets, and catsuits) frequently slip into public view. People step into roles and outfits that they might not otherwise dare...
Kink & BDSM
October 1, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Historically, women’s health is a subject that has been under-researched. This is especially the case when it comes to women’s reproductive health, which is a space that has both normalized...
Books & Films
September 24, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Pornography has long been a topic of interest of interest and debate among sex researchers. We’ve covered the science of porn many times before on the blog, including what trans...
Fantasies
September 10, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
We are thrilled to announce that the thirteenth annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference will take place in Chicago on Thursday, February 26, 2026! We hope you will join us for this...
Psychology
September 3, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Many have claimed that sex work is the oldest profession in the world (Ditmore, 2011, as cited in Bloomberg et al., 2025); however, it remains a highly controversial and stigmatized...
Myth vs Fact
August 27, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
A hysterectomy is a medical procedure that involves the removal of the uterus (and oftentimes the cervix). There are a number of different kinds of hysterectomies, as well as a...
Books & Films, Interviews
August 20, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Who was Alfred Kinsey? Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956) began his academic career as an entomologist at Indiana University, where he specialized in studying gall wasps. However, today, he is best known...
Gender, Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
August 6, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
There’s an ongoing debate over what actually counts as cheating. For example, is flirting with someone else a form of infidelity? What about following someone you find attractive on social...
Dating & Relationships
July 30, 2025 by Merissa Prine
We’ve discussed sexual fantasies on the blog several times before, including the most common fantasies, how fantasies differ across cultures, and to how to share your fantasies with a partner....
Dating & Relationships, Fantasies
July 23, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
The technological advances of generative AI have led to an explosive rise in the number of people who use it in their everyday lives. While people use AI for various...
Dating & Relationships, Media & Culture
July 9, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Casual sexual encounters between people we are not romantically involved are often referred to as “hookups.” Most of the research on hookups—also known as one-night stands, booty calls, and friends...
Dating & Relationships, LGBTQIA+
July 3, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Our early life experiences can have a lasting impact on how we navigate adult relationships. For example, we’ve previously discussed how attachment styles, which are formed in childhood, can influence...
Dating & Relationships
June 25, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
As we come to the end of another Pride Month, we’re reflecting on the experiences of LGBTQ individuals in America today. In this post, we’ll take a peek at some...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
May 28, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
For nearly a half century, abortion was legal throughout the United States. The Supreme Court established a constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade (1973) and subsequently affirmed it...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
May 22, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Today, we’re answering more of your questions! A reader recently asked whether there’s any science that can explain why men might find stimulation of their nipples to be sexually pleasurable....
Sex Q&A
May 14, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
A few weeks back, we shared some of the key takeaways from this year’s SPSP Sexuality Preconference held in Denver, Colorado. The theme of this event was “Rocky Mountain High,”...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
May 8, 2025 by Merissa Prine
It’s May, and once again, that means it’s Masturbation Month! In previous blogs, we discussed how Masturbation Month came into existence, tracing back to the important work of Dr. Joycelyn...
Sex Ed
April 30, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
When we need an emoji that’s supposed to represent something sexual, why is it that we almost always turn to some kind of food? Peaches, eggplants, and bananas are among...
Books & Films
April 21, 2025 by Merissa Prine
In discussions about how to increase sexual pleasure and satisfaction, it’s like that you’ve heard the term erogenous zones come up before, perhaps followed by phrases like “pleasure mapping” and/or...
Sex Tips
April 9, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
In previous blogs, we’ve talked all about the various ways that people leverage technology for sexual communication. For example, we’ve discussed a book that does a deep dive into the...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM
March 26, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Every year, Gallup collects data as a part of the Gallup Poll Social Series. This series includes twelve different topics that researchers conduct interviews on over the course of each...
LGBTQIA+
March 12, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Last month, we were in Denver, Colorado for the twelfth annual SPSP Sexuality Preconference. We were fortunate to have Sexual Health Alliance (based in Denver!) as our headline sponsor for...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
March 5, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Sex dolls have rapidly evolved over the past couple of decades, with technology enabling more lifelike and realistic designs. Although it remains unclear how many people actually own a sex...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
February 12, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Historically, Valentine’s Day was an annual feast celebrated on February 14th that was associated with love and romance. While the exact origins of this holiday are controversial and disputed, Valentine’s...
Potpourri
February 5, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Despite how long sex work has existed (after all, some refer to it as “the oldest profession in the world”), it is still heavily stigmatized. While sex worker stigma isn’t...
Books & Films
January 30, 2025 by Merissa Prine
In recent years, the use of sex toys in America has gone from a highly taboo topic to one that is increasingly mainstream. More and more people are discovering how...
Sex Tips
January 22, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
Every year, we publish an updated state of sexual education in the United States based on data from the Guttmacher Institute. Because each state has its own requirements (or lack...
Sex Ed
January 15, 2025 by Merissa Prine
Goodbye, 2024! We hope that you all enjoyed the holiday season and have some things to look forward to in the year ahead. 2024 was a year of significant change....
Potpourri
January 8, 2025 by Emily Mendelson
A genre of romance novels that appears to be growing in popularity is “sentient object romance.” We wanted to explore it here on Sex and Psychology, so we spoke with...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM
January 2, 2025 by Merissa Prine
The first Sunday following New Year’s Day is the busiest of the year for dating apps. It has been dubbed “Dating Sunday” and it’s the pinnacle of Cuffing Season. People...
Dating & Relationships
December 23, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, Sex and Psychology turns 13 years old this week! When I first started blogging at the end of 2011, I had no idea where this journey would...
Potpourri
December 18, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Sexting is an increasingly common form of sexual expression. But how is it affecting us? And how is sexting changing as modern technology evolves? In this post, we’re going to...
Dating & Relationships, Interviews
December 12, 2024 by Merissa Prine
The holiday season is often described as the most wonderful time of the year. For many people, it’s also the most wonderful time to be in the bedroom. As we’ve...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 4, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
One of the most common sex questions we’ve received over the years revolves around how many sexual partners people typically have. This question also pops up frequently on social media,...
Sex Q&A
November 27, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
In need of shopping inspiration for the sexy people in your life? Here are some sex-themed gift ideas and deals (mostly) inspired by science for everyone on your list. Give...
Books & Films, Sex Ed
November 21, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Pornography is a hot topic in sex research, with some of the most common topics studied being frequency of use and the impact of porn use on individuals’ lives and...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
November 13, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
A growing body of research has shown a rise in the practice of choking during sexual encounters, particularly among young adults. Much of this work has been conducted by Dr....
Interviews, Safe Sex
November 7, 2024 by Merissa Prine
There is a substantial amount of research out there on anal sex, particularly penile-anal sex; however, most of this research focuses only on topics such as how many people are...
Sex Tips
October 28, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Last year on the blog, we talked about why Halloween is the perfect time to explore your sexy roleplay fantasies, and how you can embrace those fantasies by being strategic...
Fantasies, Interviews
October 24, 2024 by Merissa Prine
It is common knowledge that women sometimes fake orgasms with their partners. At the same time, people seem to think that it’s something men don’t do because it is assumed...
Dating & Relationships, Gender, LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
October 16, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Questions from readers about whether drugs and medications can be transferred to sexual partners via semen have been coming in on a surprisingly regular basis for almost ten years. The...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Q&A
October 11, 2024 by Merissa Prine
We are excited to announce that our study abroad program with Sexual Health Alliance is back for 2025! We will be returning to Amsterdam once again, but we’re also offering...
Sex Ed
October 3, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Condoms are a highly effective tool at preventing unplanned pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. In fact, with perfect use, condoms have an efficacy rate as high as...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
September 25, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Have you ever wondered just how kinky you are? In a new research article, an international team of scientists led by Dr. Liam Wignall designed a questionnaire that can measure...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM
September 16, 2024 by Merissa Prine
We’re thrilled to announce the next annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference, which will take place next February, just before the Society for Personality and Social Psychology’s annual meeting. This will be...
Sex Ed
September 12, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
**This post is sponsored by Xersizer. Penis pumps are valuable tools that can help men to improve their sexual well-being. In fact, research has shown that these devices have the...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
September 4, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
Today is World Sexual Health Day and the theme is “Positive Relationships.” To mark this occasion, I’ve been collaborating with Feeld, the dating app for the curious, on a groundbreaking report...
Psychology, Sex Ed
August 29, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
As technology continues to evolve, there are an increasing number of ways to connect with others and experience digital intimacy. In other words, it’s easier than ever to explore sex...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
August 21, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
Celibacy is having a cultural moment. In the last decade, a growing number of celebrities have opened up about their decision to take a temporary break from sexual activity, from...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Q&A
August 15, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Talking about sex can be tricky, especially when it comes to the topic of STIs. Research shows that a lot of people avoid direct conversations about this due to fear...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
August 7, 2024 by Zoe Moscovici
We’ve been answering several questions from our listeners and readers lately, covering topics like “ how to navigate sex when one partner is paralyzed” and “ how body modifications have been historically...
Sex Q&A
July 24, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Recently on the blog we’ve been answering a few listener and reader questions, including topics such as how to navigate sex when one partner is paralyzed and how body modifications...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
July 17, 2024 by Merissa Prine
When the Sex and Psychology team was in Berlin for our study abroad course earlier this year, we visited the Lovehoney Group for a tour and lecture to learn how...
Interviews, Sex Q&A
July 10, 2024 by Zoe Moscovici
Today, we’re going to dive in and answer a question that a listener sent in about queer signaling. They asked: “I watched a sitcom the other day (Two and a...
Kink & BDSM, LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
July 3, 2024 by Merissa Prine
In today’s digital age, education is rapidly evolving to incorporate innovative technologies that enhance learning. One such technological advancement is the development of sophisticated artificial intelligence language models, like OpenAI’s...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
June 27, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Today, we’re going to dive in and answer a question that a listener sent in about sex and paraplegia. They asked: My husband is a paraplegic. He has no feeling...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
June 19, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Over 50 years ago, local activist groups in the northeast voted to hold “Christopher Street Liberation Day” demonstrations on the last Saturday in June in order to commemorate the events...
LGBTQIA+
June 12, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Recently, I had the pleasure of traveling across the globe to learn and study with Dr. Lehmiller on his study abroad course with the Sexual Health Alliance. When I first...
Media & Culture, Psychology, Sex Ed
May 30, 2024 by Merissa Prine
In recent years, the term “incel” has become increasingly prevalent in discussions surrounding relationships, gender dynamics, and online communities. Short for “involuntary celibate,” the term refers to individuals, primarily men,...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
May 22, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
In 2020, The Trevor Project conducted a national survey of over 40,000 LGBTQ youth, in which they found that 10% of respondents identified as asexual or on the ace spectrum....
Books & Films, LGBTQIA+
May 8, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
I’m currently in the midst of teaching a study abroad course on sex and culture in Amsterdam. One of the topics we cover extensively in this course is sex work,...
Sex Ed
May 1, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
The proliferation of social media has turbocharged the ever-evolving lexicon of ways to talk about romantic and sexual behaviors. This includes everything from the soft launch technique for relationship disclosure to...
Dating & Relationships
April 24, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
**This post is sponsored by MailMyMeds Erectile Dysfunction (ED) affects millions of men across the globe, yet discussions surrounding it often remain in the shadows due to stigma and feelings...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
April 18, 2024 by Justin Lehmiller
In recent years, I’ve noticed what seems to be a growing tendency among many sexuality professionals to suggest that men are responsible for many their own sexual difficulties. The scenario...
Psychology
April 4, 2024 by Zoe Moscovici
In popular retellings of the history of sex research, we tend to hear a lot about figures such as Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and William Masters. While their work was...
LGBTQIA+, Psychology
March 28, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Kimberlé Crenshaw is an African American civil rights activist and one of the foremost scholars on critical race theory and Black feminist legal theory. Her work on intersectionality has had...
Gender, Psychology
March 21, 2024 by Merissa Prine
In the annals of sex research, there are many unsung heroes whose contributions have shaped our understandings and practices related to sexuality today. Among them stands Dr. June Dobbs Butts,...
Media & Culture, Sex Ed
March 6, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
It’s estimated that the average American looking for love online will swipe almost 4,000 times on a dating app before finding a romantic partner. This number is a bit lower...
Dating & Relationships, Media & Culture
February 28, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Maintaining a vibrant and fulfilling sexual relationship requires effort, communication, and a deep understanding of each other’s needs and desires. Over time, couples often report declines in their level of...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology, Sex Tips
February 21, 2024 by Zoe Moscovici
In the history of sex research, the first names to come up are often Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, or William Masters. However, history tends to overlook important women and people...
Books & Films, Psychology
February 14, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Did preparing for Valentine’s Day feel a little extra stressful this year? If so, you might have social media (and, in particular, TikTok) to blame. For example, among the many...
Dating & Relationships, Media & Culture
February 1, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
The third edition of The Psychology of Human Sexuality by Dr. Justin Lehmiller is officially available! This textbook is a comprehensive guide to major theoretical perspectives on human sexuality, and...
Books & Films, Sex Ed
January 25, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Exciting news: Sex and Psychology is expanding! Join us in extending a warm welcome to Zoe Moscovici, our newest team member. Zoe’s arrival this week marks an important step in...
Interviews
January 17, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
Emily Nagoski’s new book Come Together: The Science (and Art!) of Creating Lasting Sexual Connections is set to release on January 30th, 2024. We were able to receive a sneak...
Books & Films
January 11, 2024 by Merissa Prine
Sex education in the United States has been a subject of unending controversy for years. Unlike many other developed countries, the US approach to sex education varies widely across states,...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
January 3, 2024 by Emily Mendelson
If you study the history of sex research, you’re likely to see certain names mentioned over and over again, such as Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and William Masters. The contributions...
Books & Films, Media & Culture
December 27, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2023 winds down, let’s look back at this year’s ten most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The following posts represent a very diverse range of content and, combined,...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 20, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, Sex and Psychology turns 12 years old this week! When I first started blogging at the end of 2011, I had no idea where this journey would...
Potpourri
December 13, 2023 by Merissa Prine
The holiday season is a time for joy, togetherness, and celebration. It’s a period where families and friends gather to share love and create lasting memories. However, amid the merry...
LGBTQIA+
December 6, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
Since 2001, Gallup has been collecting data every month to assess public opinion on a variety of issues. In order to conduct their Social Series interviews (i.e., their process of...
LGBTQIA+, Psychology
November 30, 2023 by Bethany Lumsdaine
As the annual masturbatory abstinence challenge known as “No Nut November” comes to a close, it is a great time to remember all the positives of masturbation. From improved health...
Myth vs Fact
November 23, 2023 by Merissa Prine
Happy Thanksgiving! Since many of us are currently in the season of giving thanks and are reminded of all of the wonderful things we are thankful for, we wanted to...
Sex Ed
November 14, 2023 by Bethany Lumsdaine
Last month, the inaugural Securing Sexuality conference took place in Detroit, Michigan. Possibly the first conference of its kind, Securing Sexuality brought together experts from various fields to delve into...
Potpourri
November 8, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
I’m excited to announce that my study abroad program in conjunction with the Sexual Health Alliance is back for another year! We are offering study abroad courses in both Amsterdam...
Sex Ed
October 31, 2023 by Bethany Lumsdaine
Each October, seasonal Halloween costume shops pop up everywhere peddling “sexy” costumes representing various professions, beloved TV and film characters, and spooky creatures. It’s a massive enterprise, with Americans expected...
Fantasies, Sex Tips
October 26, 2023 by Merissa Prine
October 26th is Intersex Awareness Day. In a world that is becoming increasingly inclusive and accepting of various sexual and gender minorities, intersex awareness remains an important, yet often overlooked,...
LGBTQIA+, Myth vs Fact
October 11, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
In 1988, psychologist Dr. Rob Eichberg co-founded the “Coming Out Day” holiday with Jean O’Leary. The original concept behind this holiday is that most people who think they don’t know...
LGBTQIA+
October 5, 2023 by Merissa Prine
Sex and Psychology’s Dr. Justin Lehmiller was the recipient of the inaugural Ellen Laan Award for Translational Sexual Science from the International Academy of Sex Research (IASR) this summer. Ellen...
Sex Ed
September 18, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
We are pleased to announce the eleventh annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next February prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology....
Sex Ed
September 13, 2023 by Merissa Prine
Sex and Psychology is expanding! I’m pleased to introduce the latest additions to the team, who will help continue our mission of bringing you science-based sex ed. Next up: Bethany...
Interviews
September 6, 2023 by Bethany Lumsdaine
Sex and Psychology is expanding! We’re pleased to introduce the latest additions to the team this week and next, who will help continue our mission of bringing you science-based sex...
Interviews
August 30, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
Some individuals who frequent kink and BDSM spaces have observed that they meet more individuals who are neurodivergent than in other social settings. So is there truly a correlation between...
Kink & BDSM, Psychology
August 21, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
Sixty-nine years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey’s classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. This book was...
Potpourri
August 9, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of a dick pic, there’s a high likelihood that it was unsolicited. For this reason, a majority of public discourse surrounding dick...
Books & Films, Gender, Media & Culture
July 12, 2023 by Olivia Adams
A couple of weeks ago, we released a blog post on an excellent resource developed by Dr. Steven Rouse that pairs episodes of the Sex and Psychology podcast with chapters...
Sex Ed
July 5, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
[August 28, 2023 Update: Applications are closed because this position has been filled. However, please keep an eye out for future postings!] Sex and Psychology was founded with the goal...
Uncategorized
July 3, 2023 by Olivia Adams
Sex education in the U.S. leaves much to be desired. And because young people oftentimes cannot depend on formal education through school to learn about sex, they may stumble upon...
Sex Ed
June 26, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
We’re excited to announce that the third edition of Dr. Lehmiller’s The Psychology of Human Sexuality textbook is now available for pre-order! The updated text will arrive in fall 2023, giving...
Sex Ed
May 29, 2023 by Olivia Adams
It’s been a busy month here at Sex and Psychology, but we couldn’t say goodbye to May before taking a deep dive into an important springtime topic: masturbation. Over the...
Gender, Psychology
May 24, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
“We are the recorders and reporters of facts—not the judges of the behaviors we describe.” – Alfred Kinsey Founded in 1947 at Indiana University, the Kinsey Institute is the premier...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed, Sex Q&A
May 4, 2023 by Olivia Adams
Heterosexual men’s difficulty in finding the clitoris has been a running gag in the popular media for quite some time. And there’s more than a hint of truth to it:...
Gender, Sex Ed
April 27, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
Ashley Madison is an infamous online dating service advertised as a means of facilitating extra-marital affairs. It has been the subject of significant media and scientific attention due to the...
Dating & Relationships
April 12, 2023 by Olivia Adams
You’ve probably heard the term gaydar before, which refers to an intuitive ability to determine whether or not someone is gay based on indirect information, such as speech patterns or...
LGBTQIA+, Psychology
March 22, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
The state of sex education in the USA is vastly different across states. As of May 2023, there are 23 states that do not require sex education for high school...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
March 14, 2023 by Olivia Adams
Hollywood sex scenes tend to glamorize spontaneous sex. You’ve undoubtedly seen this time and again in the movies and on TV: flirtatious tension starts brewing and then we cut to...
Myth vs Fact, Psychology
March 1, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
The size of the sex toy market is predicted to reach $62.3 billion by 2030. In light of this, it’s surprising that so little research has explored what might be driving...
Myth vs Fact
February 15, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
The five “love languages”—words of affirmation, acts of service, gift giving, quality time, and physical touch—are meant to help individuals identify how they prefer to both give and receive love....
Dating & Relationships, Sex Tips
February 9, 2023 by Olivia Adams
AI is getting smarter. It can produce text that’s virtually indistinguishable from a human, and it has a massive knowledge base. So what will it mean for the future? What...
Media & Culture, Sex Ed
February 2, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
OnlyFans is a digital patronage platform with over two million independent sex workers and a user base of 170 million registered accounts. Given the speed at which OnlyFans use gained...
Kink & BDSM, Media & Culture, Sex Ed
January 25, 2023 by Olivia Adams
The Pew Research Center recently published data covering Americans’ views on gender identity and issues affecting transgender people, with special attention to differences based on age, political affiliation, and other...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
January 11, 2023 by Emily Mendelson
Pornhub recently released their 2022 year-in-review detailing users’ searches and viewing habits, revealing current trends in pornography. Read on for insights into some of the data and trends that defined the...
Fantasies
January 2, 2023 by Justin Lehmiller
The start of each new year is a common time for people to make resolutions for self-improvement. And it may very well be that more people than usual are making...
Sex Tips
December 29, 2022 by Olivia Adams
2022 has been memorable for a lot of reasons—including what science taught us about sex. So here’s a quick recap of some of the many interesting things we learned about...
Sex Ed
December 21, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, Sex and Psychology turns 11 years old this week! When I first started blogging at the end of 2011, I had no idea where this journey would take me,...
Potpourri
December 14, 2022 by Emily Mendelson
What’s the most popular day of the year to conceive a child? According to the data, it’s Christmas Eve (at least in the United States). The third most popular? New Year’s Eve....
Dating & Relationships
December 7, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
If you haven’t started your holiday shopping yet, now’s the time! With supply chain issues and shipping delays piling up, it’s a good idea to get started a little earlier...
Books & Films, Potpourri
November 30, 2022 by Olivia Adams
Consider this — what if you could take a class in which your homework was to watch porn every week? This is what Lustery, an online porn platform that focuses...
Sex Ed
November 23, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
To all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don’t forget to be thankful for sex! Research suggests that sex is good for us in a lot of ways, both physically...
Potpourri
November 16, 2022 by Emily Mendelson
The season three finale of Netflix’s Love is Blind was released last week, which means we finally get to see who said “I do.” Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, the...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
November 9, 2022 by Emily Mendelson
It’s “No Nut November” once again. While this annual abstinence challenge seems to pick up some new participants each year, you may want to think twice before giving up masturbation...
Myth vs Fact
November 2, 2022 by Olivia Adams
“I’m not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it’s just a layover on the way to Gaytown.” “You know, I think it’s great. He’s open to all sexual experiences. He’s...
LGBTQIA+, Psychology
October 26, 2022 by Emily Mendelson
The need to stay home and, for many, the need to find alternative means of income as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a substantial rise in the...
Media & Culture
October 19, 2022 by Emily Mendelson
Sex and Psychology is expanding! I’m pleased to introduce the latest additions to the team, who will help continue our mission of bringing you science-based sex ed. Next up: Olivia...
Interviews
October 12, 2022 by Olivia Adams
Sex and Psychology is expanding! I’m pleased to introduce the latest additions to the team this week and next, who will help continue our mission of bringing you science-based sex...
Interviews
October 5, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce the tenth annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next February prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology....
Psychology
September 21, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Generally speaking, sexual activity is good for our mental health. Sex (however you like to do it) has the potential to enhance our psychological well-being, as well as the connection...
Dating & Relationships, Media & Culture, Sex Tips
September 5, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
I’m excited to announce a unique study abroad program in conjunction with the Sexual Health Alliance. We are offering study abroad courses in both Amsterdam and Berlin focused on sex...
Media & Culture, Potpourri
August 25, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
**Note: This post is sponsored by Lorals In recent years, oral sex has become one of the most common sexual behaviors that people engage in. In fact, aside from intercourse,...
Safe Sex
August 20, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-nine years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey’s classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. This...
Potpourri
August 11, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Monkeypox has recently become one of the dominant topics of conversations in the sexual health community and in the media more broadly. Case counts are increasing quickly and vaccines are...
Safe Sex, Videos
August 3, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
BDSM (which stands for bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism) is one of the most popular sexual fantasies. It’s also a relatively common sexual behavior, with nationally representative US surveys finding that as many...
Kink & BDSM
July 18, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people say that their ideal relationship would be monogamous. Despite this, however, a lot of people seem to have a really hard time maintaining monogamy. So if monogamy is...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
July 11, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
The “love language” concept has become increasingly popular as a way of explaining differences in how people prefer to show and receive love. However, despite its enormous popularity, there still...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
July 4, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
According to Gallup’s 2022 Moral Issues Survey, American adults’ views on sexual morality have become more liberal since the turn of the century. In fact, for some of the issues on this...
Sex Ed
June 27, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
HIV prevention and treatment have taken great strides over the last few decades, but there is still much to be done. In the United States alone, there are currently more...
Safe Sex
June 20, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
[September 14, 2022 Update: Applications are closed because this position has been filled. However, please keep an eye out for future postings!] Sex and Psychology was founded with the goal...
Uncategorized
June 15, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s June, and that means it’s LGBTQ+ Pride Month. At this time of year, we often hear a lot about Stonewall and the night of June 27, 1969. The stories...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
June 6, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Twenty-seven years ago this week, something unusual took place in the Netherlands: an observational study of the world’s first known case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck. Yes, you...
Potpourri, Videos
May 30, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Research finds that nearly half of American adults (46%) have used marijuana in some way at least once before. People use it for all kinds of purposes, from pain relief...
Sex Ed
May 23, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
**Note: This post is sponsored by The Handy More than 4 in 10 men report having experienced at least one sexual difficulty in the past year. Experiencing difficulties during sex...
Potpourri, Sex Tips
May 16, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
The leak of a draft decision from the Supreme Court to reverse Roe v. Wade has reinvigorated public discourse on abortion in a way I haven’t previously seen in my...
Sex Ed
May 9, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasy, pornography use, and in-person sexual behavior each tell us something unique about our sexuality, which means we can’t just assume that sexual interests in one context, transcend other...
Interviews, LGBTQIA+, Psychology
May 2, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s May, and that means it’s Masturbation Month yet again! So let’s talk about self-pleasure. The origins of Masturbation Month date back to 1995, when US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders...
Sex Ed, Videos
April 25, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a famous scene in the film 9 and 1/2 Weeks in which Mickey Rourke erotically feeds Kim Basinger a variety of foods including Jell-O, cherries, and tomatoes in front...
Fantasies
April 18, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
April 20th is popularly known as 4/20 Day. It’s an unofficial (for now!) holiday that celebrates all things marijuana. This is going to be a hot topic of conversation this...
Sex Ed
April 11, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
One reason some partners have sex early on in a relationship is because they want to know whether they’re sexually compatible. Sex is an important part of most (but not...
Sex Tips
April 4, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve heard from many readers over the years who think they have a sex drive that is “too high.” So when does a high sex drive become a problem? It’s...
Sex Q&A, Uncategorized
March 28, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
The new season of Bridgerton is out and it already has people hot and bothered. The first season was famous for its steamy sex scenes, which helped it to become...
Books & Films, Fantasies
March 21, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
At a broad level, exercise is defined as any activity requiring physical effort that either helps you maintain or enhance your overall health. Through this lens, sex certainly counts as...
Potpourri
March 14, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
I have been studying and writing about sexual orientation and sexual identity for the better part of the last two decades. One of the most interesting things I have seen...
LGBTQIA+
March 9, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Decades of psychological research on attraction has revealed which traits people tend to desire in a romantic partner. Intelligence, honesty, and sense of humor pretty reliably come in toward the...
Dating & Relationships
February 28, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Same-sex marriage has been legal throughout the United States since 2015. So what percentage of the LGBT population is currently married now that marriage is no longer restricted based on...
Dating & Relationships, LGBTQIA+
February 21, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) recognizes February as National Condom Month. Condom awareness and education are always important, but it seems especially timely right now given that rates of...
Safe Sex
February 14, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people seem to believe in the idea of “love at first sight.” For example, in studies of people who are currently in relationships, as many as 1...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
February 7, 2022 by Katie Adams
In the famous movie When Harry Met Sally, there’s a scene where Harry claims that “men and women can’t be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.”...
Dating & Relationships
January 31, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Teens across the United States have wildly inconsistent experiences with sex education. As of January 2022, there are 21 states that do not require sex ed, and even in those...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
January 24, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual initiation is something that seems challenging to navigate for many people. Over the years, I’ve heard from a lot of readers who want tips on initiation, with some saying...
Fantasies, Sex Tips
January 17, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm in which an argument takes place over whether a woman has a “big vagina” or her ex-partner has a “small penis.” While this...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
January 12, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
In my previous post, I offered a guide on how to start a podcast. Today, I’ll be sharing some of the pro-tips I’ve learned from running the Sex and Psychology...
Interviews, Potpourri
January 10, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Since launching the Sex and Psychology Podcast, I’ve received a number of queries from folks who are interested in starting their own shows. Podcasts can be a fantastic educational tool...
Interviews, Potpourri
January 3, 2022 by Justin Lehmiller
Each time a new year rolls around, a lot of us start making resolutions for self-improvement. I suspect more people than usual might be making New Year’s resolutions right now...
Sex Tips
December 30, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
2021 has been memorable for a lot of reasons—including what science taught us about sex. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most interesting things we learned about sex...
Sex Ed
December 27, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
2021 was an interesting year to say the least! Our lives and behaviors continued to be altered in a number of ways by the pandemic—one of which was that many...
Potpourri
December 24, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Unlike many animal species, humans don’t really have a mating season. We can have sex any time of year. However, there do appear to be some peaks and valleys in...
Videos
December 20, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What was the most popular porn search term of 2021? According to Pornhub’s latest report, it was hentai. This term has been near the top of the list for a...
Fantasies, Media & Culture
December 15, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, Sex and Psychology turns 10 years old this week! When I first started blogging at the end of 2011, I had no idea where this journey would take me,...
Potpourri, Uncategorized
December 13, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex therapist Dr. Shirley Zussman passed away on December 4, 2021 at the age of 107. She had a remarkably long career in the field, having earned her doctorate in...
Sex Ed, Videos
December 8, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When you fantasize about sex, who do you usually think about? I’ve previously written about the various characters who appear in our fantasies and, most commonly, people mention current partners,...
Fantasies
December 6, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex toys can be a great addition to just about anyone’s sex life because they can add an element of novelty, while also introducing you to new sensations. Sex toys...
Interviews, Potpourri
November 29, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
If you haven’t started your holiday shopping yet, now’s the time! With supply chain issues and shipping delays piling up, it’s a good idea to get started a little earlier...
Potpourri
November 25, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
To all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don’t forget to be thankful for sex! Research suggests that sex is good for us in a lot of ways, both physically and...
Potpourri
November 22, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
College hookup culture serves the interests of some, but not others. So who is it helping, and who is it hurting? To explore this question, I interviewed Dr. Lisa Wade...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
November 15, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasies can be a multi-sensory experience. They’re not just about what we can see—but also what we can feel, smell, taste, and hear. In this post, we’re going to...
Fantasies, Psychology
November 10, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When you have a sexual fantasy, where does it take place? For some people, the setting doesn’t matter at all, whereas for others, the setting is crucial to establishing a...
Fantasies
November 8, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When you fantasize about sex, do you ever imagine your partner(s) wearing a specific uniform? If so, you’re not alone. In the survey of 4,175 Americans I conducted for my...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM
November 3, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Infidelity is common. Saying exactly how many people have ever cheated is a little dicey, though, because the numbers vary a lot depending on how you ask the question (e.g.,...
Dating & Relationships
November 1, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question: “How many people are into DP [double penetration]?” Double penetration is a popular theme in the world of porn and often appears in threesome...
Fantasies, Sex Q&A
October 27, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
If you’re a long-time reader of the blog, you’ve probably seen articles I’ve posted about seasonal variations in sexual behavior. According to the research, one of the biggest peaks occurs...
Sex Ed
October 25, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
How many in-person dates would you want to have with a new partner before having sex with that person? We often hear about the so-called “three-date rule,” or the idea...
Dating & Relationships
October 20, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A friend of mine told me about a recent discussion he had with friends where everyone talked about having had a similar experience: whenever they were away on a trip,...
Fantasies, Psychology
October 18, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader recently asked the following question: “I often have a hard time orgasming. I have heard that having trouble orgasming can be related to having ADHD. To be clear, the orgasmic...
Sex Q&A
October 13, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
While writing an article on the health effects of sex and masturbation a while back, I came across a paper titled “Ejaculation as a Potential Treatment of Nasal Congestion in...
Myth vs Fact
October 11, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I launched Sex and Psychology nearly ten years ago. The site—and its purpose—have grown considerably since then. Initially, this was a fun side project I did while I was a...
Potpourri
October 6, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Is marriage harder now than it was in the past? Are we expecting too much from our spouses today? I recently interviewed Dr. Eli Finkel for the Sex and Psychology...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
October 4, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When people think about orgasms, they usually think about sex and masturbation. Orgasms arise from sexual stimulation, right? That’s certainly the most common route to orgasm for most people, but...
Sex Ed, Uncategorized
September 29, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our sexual interests and behaviors in many ways, which I’ve covered extensively on the blog (see here for a recap). But something that hasn’t really been explored...
Potpourri, Sex Tips
September 27, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it sound like when you have sex? Is there any dirty talk? What about panting, moaning, and/or grunting? While people vary in their personal preferences for erotic sounds...
Videos
September 22, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
“I felt disgusted, but also very satisfied.” I just heard this line on an NPR podcast that had absolutely nothing to do with sex—but it really got me thinking because...
Kink & BDSM, Psychology
September 20, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
In long-term relationships, partners’ sex drives are bound to get out of sync from time to time. That’s normal and not a cause for concern unless it becomes a persistent...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Tips
September 13, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the topics that we explore extensively in my sex and culture course in Amsterdam is sex work. As part of this course, I give my students the opportunity...
Interviews, Media & Culture
September 6, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
In my study abroad course on sex and culture in the Netherlands, one of the things we have been discussing is cross-cultural differences in sexual health and sex education. Teens’ sexual...
Media & Culture, Sex Ed
September 1, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Today in my study abroad course on sex and culture in the Netherlands, we’re focusing on sex work, particularly the link between sex work and mental health. Many studies have...
Media & Culture, Sex Ed
August 30, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Greetings from Amsterdam! Today is the first day of a class I’m teaching on sex and culture in the Netherlands through the Sexual Health Alliance. Amsterdam is an awesome city—and...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
August 25, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The very first sex study that I ever published appeared in the Journal of Sex Research in 2011, and it explored similarities and differences in how men and women approach friends with...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
August 23, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When vibrators are mentioned in pop culture, they’re usually discussed as masturbation aides—something people (particularly women) use to pleasure themselves. You don’t typically see people whipping them out during couple’s...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Tips
August 18, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-eight years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey’s classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. This...
Books & Films, Media & Culture
August 16, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
BDSM (which stands for bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism) is one of the most popular sexual fantasies and a significant number of people report having engaged in BDSM acts before. Interest in BDSM appears...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM
August 11, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Why does monogamy work for some people but not for others? Research suggests that it might have something to do with the way our brains are ‘wired.’ Consider a study...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
August 9, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What is the oldest sex toy in existence? Why were butt plugs once marketed as a cure for asthma? Why is it still illegal to sell sex toys in some...
Interviews
August 4, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Somnophilia refers to a sexual interest in which someone is turned on by the idea of having sex with a person who is sleeping—or being asleep and receiving sexual attention...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
August 2, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When a couple starts kissing intensely in public, it tends to capture your attention—you can’t pull your eyes away. And when you see this, it’s possible to experience a wide...
Dating & Relationships
July 28, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
You all know that I’m an advocate for sex toys. The data are clear that most people who use them report benefits and overwhelmingly positive effects. For example, sex toys are an...
Sex Ed
July 26, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you make a relationship work for the long haul? Research has identified several key factors, many of which have to do with the relationship mindset we hold. I...
Dating & Relationships
July 21, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Some people are turned on by the idea of having sex with a partner who is sleeping—or being asleep and receiving sexual attention from someone else. This sexual interest is...
Fantasies, Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
July 19, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What are the keys to having good casual sex? This question is at the forefront of Dr. Zhana Vrangalova’s program of research. I interviewed Zhana for the Sex and Psychology...
Sex Ed
July 14, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people’s sex lives in a number of ways, which I’ve written about extensively on the blog (see here for a video recap of some of...
Videos
July 7, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
According to Gallup’s 2021 Moral Issues Survey, Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to become more liberal overall. In fact, for some of the issues on this survey, Gallup recorded the...
Sex Ed
July 7, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people view pornography as a public health hazard, arguing that it’s inherently bad for our sex lives, relationships, and mental health. Embedded in a lot of arguments about the...
Sex Ed
July 5, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The number of American adults identifying as LGBTQ+ is growing. As I reported earlier this year, LGBTQ+ identification in national polls has increased by about 60% from 2012 to 2020, going...
LGBTQIA+
June 30, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you keep passion alive in a long-term relationship and sustain sexual satisfaction over time? This question is at the forefront of Dr. Amy Muise’s program of research. I...
Interviews
June 28, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Do the sex lives of men in relationships differ based on their sexual orientation? This question is difficult to answer because there’s not a lot of research out there on...
LGBTQIA+
June 23, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
“We are the recorders and reporters of facts—not the judges of the behaviors we describe.” – Alfred Kinsey Today (June 23) marks the birthday of Dr. Alfred Kinsey, one of...
Sex Ed
June 21, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When people describe the traits they want in a partner, honesty usually comes in near the top of the list. However, despite the fact that we say we want partners who will...
Sex Ed
June 16, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What do you do after sex? Some people like to spoon or cuddle, others like to sleep, and yet others like to grab something to eat or drink. But does...
Videos
June 14, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Virtual reality (VR) pornography is a small but growing market in the adult industry. As the cost of this technology comes down in price and becomes more accessible to a...
Sex Ed
June 9, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexuality is one of the most misunderstood sexual orientations. So for LGBT Pride Month, let’s take a look at some of the key things scientists have discovered about bisexuality that...
LGBTQIA+
June 7, 2021 by Katie Adams
Guest post by Katie Adams “I’ve been really tryin’, baby / Tryin’ to hold back this feeling for so long / And if you feel like I feel, baby /...
Sex Ed
June 2, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
After a breakup, some ex-partners avoid each other entirely. However, others continue to be in each other’s lives by remaining friends. So what motivates people to stay friends after a...
Dating & Relationships
May 31, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Consensual nonmonogamy is a relationship style in which all partners openly agree to the possibility of having more than one sexual and/or romantic relationship at a time. These relationships are...
Sex Ed
May 26, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, much was said and written about sex and masturbation in the popular media. The implication of many stories was that people were going...
Sex Ed
May 24, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I get asked about the future of sex a lot, and one of the topics that often comes up is how robots are going to change our intimate lives and...
Gender, Sex Ed
May 19, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of research has examined how men and women respond to proposals for casual sex; however, the bulk of this research has focused on people who are heterosexual. This...
Gender, LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
May 17, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
In recent years, Americans’ sexual attitudes have become more liberal. For example, public opinion polls have found that the number of American adults who think that things like sex outside...
Sex Ed
May 12, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the questions I’m asked most often by journalists these days is what sex and relationships will look like after the pandemic. As a result, I’ve spent quite a...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
May 10, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you look back on your first sexual experience? For some people, it’s remembered positively, whereas for others, it is a source of regret and shame because they feel...
Gender, Sex Ed
May 5, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Google trends have shown an uptick in searches related to polyamory in recent years, which suggests growing interest in the idea of consensual non-monogamy (or at least growing curiosity about...
Dating & Relationships
May 3, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
It wasn’t that long ago that virginity was a highly coveted trait in a romantic partner. Sexual inexperience was valued, whereas being sexually experienced was often considered a dealbreaker, especially...
Sex Ed
April 28, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
One reason that many couples have sex early on in a relationship—and well before the prospect of marriage might ever come to mind—is because they want to know whether they’re...
Sex Tips
April 26, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When people are surveyed about which behaviors count as “having sex,” it’s nearly impossible to find 100% agreement on anything. For example, studies of college students find that, while most...
Sex Ed
April 21, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When asked to describe a memorable regret, the things people mention most often involve love, sex, and romance [1]. For example, common regrets include lost opportunities (like “the one that...
Sex Ed
April 19, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
April 20th is known by many as 4/20 Day and it’s an unofficial holiday that celebrates all things marijuana (to read up on the history of 4/20 Day, check out...
Sex Ed
April 14, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
People tend to think of personality as a relatively stable characteristic of the self that doesn’t usually change much over the course of our lives. However, this way of thinking...
Sex Ed
April 12, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Our perception of time is inconsistent—and a lot of different factors can affect whether time feels like it’s flying by versus standing still. For example, watching water boil on a...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
April 7, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader recently asked the following question:“My wife and I have been discussing fantasies. She believes fantasies are something that may turn you on but you don’t want to actually...
Sex Q&A
April 5, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last couple of years, I seem to have become the go-to person for journalists and sex therapists who want to know how common a given sexual fantasy is....
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
March 31, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
When I look at studies examining what people say they want in a romantic partner, people tend to report a lot of positive traits. For example, kindness, honesty, and dependability...
Dating & Relationships
March 29, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Rebound sex is generally defined as sexual activity that someone seeks out in order get over an ex or move on after a breakup [1]. In other words, rebound sex...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
March 24, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
“Once a cheater, always a cheater” is how the saying goes. But is this true? Is history bound to repeat itself when it comes to infidelity?According to the research, people...
Dating & Relationships
March 22, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it mean to be a “hopeless romantic?” You can find countless media articles talking about people’s opinions on this, but from a scientific perspective, what it really refers...
Dating & Relationships
March 17, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of the time that you see BDSM discussed or mentioned in the popular media, it is referenced as a sexual activity. In other words, it’s largely seen as something...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
March 15, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the things people find appealing about the idea of online dating is that you can potentially meet a much larger number of people online than you can in...
Dating & Relationships
March 10, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Our professional biographies tend to serve as a “highlight reel”—they only say the great things we’ve accomplished and don’t reveal the struggles, challenges, and uncertainties that went into building a...
Psychology
March 8, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator, I’ve been asked many times over the years why men often wake up with erections (or “morning wood,” as they’re known colloquially). In this post, I’ll...
Sex Ed
March 3, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
It is well known that depression—and certain drug treatments for depression, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—can lower sexual interest, desire, and activity levels. However, it turns out that...
Sex Ed
March 1, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve been studying and writing about sexual orientation and sexual identity for the better part of the last two decades, and one of the most interesting things I’ve seen in...
LGBTQIA+
February 24, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Earlier this week, I wrote an article about how infectious organisms transmitted through sex can potentially alter the sexual behavior patterns of the host. By encouraging the host to engage...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
February 22, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of us like to think of ourselves as having free will. We engage in behaviors—sexually and otherwise—because we choose to do so, right? But what if this wasn't entirely...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed, Videos
February 17, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
In my previous post, I discussed results from a recent study exploring how young adults define “rough sex” and their enjoyment of this activity. Today, I’m going to be discussing...
Sex Ed
February 15, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Rough sex is one of the most popular sexual fantasies. In fact, when I surveyed 4,175 Americans about their fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want, I found...
Sex Ed
February 10, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) recognizes February as National Condom Month. Condom awareness and education is always important, but it seems especially timely right now given that rates of...
Safe Sex
February 4, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Teens across the United States have wildly inconsistent experiences with sex education. Currently, 20 states do not require sex ed, and even in those states that mandate it, the information...
Safe Sex
February 3, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The way we meet our romantic partners has evolved several times throughout history, with online dating being the latest frontier. However, it’s interesting to note that, despite its increasing popularity,...
Dating & Relationships
February 1, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people report having dreams about sex at least occasionally. In fact, research has found that the vast majority of both men (93%) and women (86%) say they have had...
Sex Ed
January 27, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator, I receive questions almost every day from people who are facing some type of difficulty in their sex life and don’t know what to do about...
Sex Tips
January 25, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
We know that there have been multiple changes in sexual behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic, which I’ve blogged extensively about before (for a summary of some of the main findings,...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
January 22, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Earlier this week, I wrote about a new study that explores what people who are having affairs do, say, and feel. The results of this research tell us that there...
Dating & Relationships
January 18, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a lot of research out there on infidelity. Most of it has examined topics such as how many people have ever cheated and the main reasons people step out...
Dating & Relationships
January 11, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I went to graduate school to study the psychology of romantic relationships. Relationships are one of the most significant and consequential things in our lives, with the quality of our...
Dating & Relationships, Psychology
January 8, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently received a long letter from a reader who asked, “Can I (or should I) try to change my sexual fantasies in order to reduce conflict in my marriage?”...
Sex Ed, Sex Q&A
January 7, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“It is known that having sex has positive effects on both our mental and physical health. But what do we know about the consequences of...
Sex Q&A
January 6, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve written a lot about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people’s sex lives and relationships; however, most of the research that has been conducted on this topic so far...
Dating & Relationships
January 4, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
The rise of online dating has given us a new way to connect with other people—and to meet people we probably wouldn’t otherwise encounter in our everyday lives. It has...
Videos
January 1, 2021 by Justin Lehmiller
Each time a new year rolls around, a lot of us start making resolutions for self-improvement. I suspect more people than usual may be making New Year’s resolutions right now...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
2020 has been memorable for a lot of reasons—including what science taught us about sex. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most interesting things we learned about sex...
Sex Ed
December 28, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What. A. Year.2020 was unusual, to say the least. Our lives and behaviors were altered in a number of ways due to the pandemic—one of which was that many of...
Potpourri
December 25, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual behaviors ebb and flow throughout the year—and so do our porn searches. It turns out that what people look for on adult sites is, in part, a function...
Sex Ed
December 25, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Porn searches are seasonal. According to Pornhub, the content that people look for seems to vary significantly over the course of the year in relation to different holidays and events....
Sex Ed
December 21, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Throughout this pandemic, I’ve been interviewed by dozens of journalists about the impact COVID-19 has had on our intimate lives. One question that keeps coming up in these interviews is:...
Sex Ed
December 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s hard for me to believe, but Sex and Psychology is officially nine years old! When I started blogging in 2011, I had no idea where this journey would take...
Potpourri
December 14, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s not uncommon for people in monogamous relationships to step out on their partners. Studies have reliably found that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 married individuals say...
Videos
December 14, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
If you aren’t quite finished with your holiday shopping or (like me) haven’t even started yet, allow me to make your job a little easier this year. If you're in...
Potpourri
December 9, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A question I often get asked in interviews about my book Tell Me What You Want is whether I learned about any new kinks in the process of studying more...
Sex Ed
December 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Where I live, winter is almost here, and that means “cuffing season” is about to get underway. Just in case you aren’t familiar, cuffing season describes the tendency for people...
Dating & Relationships
December 4, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What do people want to know about sex?Here's are the ten most read question-and-answer features of all time on the blog. These questions (all submitted by readers of Sex and...
Sex Q&A
November 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people seem to be under the impression that divorce is on the rise—and that a larger and larger proportion of marriages dissolve each year. This is why...
Dating & Relationships
November 27, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Can’t decide what to buy the sexy people in your life this holiday season? I have you covered. Check out the brand new Sex and Psychology Store, where you’ll find...
Potpourri
November 26, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
To all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don't forget to be thankful for sex! Research suggests that sex is good for us in a lot of ways, both physically...
Potpourri
November 23, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Porn searches are seasonal.If you look at trends in porn searches throughout the year, you’ll see that they follow a predictable pattern of changes that reflect seasonal events and holidays....
Potpourri
November 20, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and Psychology is about to celebrate its ninth anniversary! I’ve been blogging about the science of sex and relationships three times per week every week since the site launched,...
Potpourri
November 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years back, a bunch of guys on the internet started challenging each other to go the whole month of November without ejaculating. It’s “No Nut November,” as they...
Videos
November 16, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Threesomes are one of the most popular sexual fantasies. But how many people have ever made the leap from fantasy to reality? And who’s most likely to have had a...
Sex Ed
November 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
How have people's sex lives and relationships changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic? Some of my colleagues and I at The Kinsey Institute conducted a study in order...
Videos
November 11, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
When a couple decides to end a relationship, the result isn’t always a clean break. There’s often some degree of contact that continues and, sometimes, that includes sex. But who...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
November 6, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Women don’t always orgasm during vaginal intercourse, especially if clitoral stimulation isn’t part of the equation. In fact, in a nationally representative study of more than 1,000 women from the...
Sex Ed
November 2, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to sex toy use, there is a pretty sizeable gap between men and women. Studies have consistently found that women use sex toys during masturbation at much...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 2, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a powerful impact on people’s sexual and romantic lives. At the Kinsey Institute, we conducted a study to explore how people’s intimate lives have fared...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
October 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Some women masturbate right after having sex with their partner. Intuitively, some might assume that this necessarily means she was dissatisfied with the sex and compensating for an unfulfilling experience....
Gender, Videos
October 26, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Nudism (also known as naturism) is a practice—and sometimes a lifestyle—that centers around non-sexual public nudity. As someone who grew up in the United States, I learned very early on...
Sex Ed
October 23, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Research reports on multiple orgasms in women date back nearly a century. Despite this, surprisingly little has been published on what women’s experiences with multiple orgasms are like. There’s also...
Sex Ed
October 19, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Have you ever noticed that some romantic partners have a strikingly similar facial structure? If so, you’re not alone.Research has found that we tend to be attracted to partners with...
Dating & Relationships
October 16, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:“My wife claims she has no sexual fantasies. Is this possible?”Sexual fantasies are usually defined as waking mental images or pictures that one finds to...
Sex Ed
October 14, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What is the average amount of semen a man produces? Where does semen actually come from anyway? Why do men ejaculate in spurts instead of a stream? Why is semen...
Videos
October 12, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Cuckolding is a sexual practice in which one is aroused by the idea of watching or listening to their partner have sex with someone else. I’ve written quite a bit...
Gender, Sex Ed
October 9, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) refers to deliberate, self-inflicted damage to the body that is intended to cause pain, but not to end one’s life. NSSI is not uncommon—in fact, some reports...
Sex Ed
October 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we’ve been urged to keep our distance from other people in order to reduce transmission rates. These social distancing guidelines—combined with lockdowns, quarantines, and closures...
Sex Ed
October 5, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce the eighth annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next February prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology....
Psychology
September 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In our Kinsey Institute study on how the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is affecting our intimate lives, we found that rates of sexual activity decreased during lockdown compared to prior year...
Dating & Relationships
September 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In my last post, I wrote about how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the frequency with which people say they fantasize about sex, as well as people’s reasons for having...
Sex Ed
September 28, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Kissing is among the most common sexual and romantic behaviors. Although it isn’t a universal activity across cultures (in fact, researchers haven't found evidence of kissing in a surprisingly large...
Sex Ed
September 25, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked:“How common are vorarephilia fantasies?”For those who aren’t familiar, vorarephilia (also known as vore for short) refers to a sexual interest that revolves around consuming or being consumed...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
September 23, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
“Pup play” is a form of sexual roleplay in which an adult human adopts the appearance and characteristics of a dog. This may include dressing up like a dog (wearing...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
September 21, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Some people tend to fall in love fast, easily, and often [1]. This tendency is known as emophilia, formerly known as “emotional promiscuity.”Falling in love fast and often might sound...
Dating & Relationships
September 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A surprisingly large number of people report having had paranormal experiences. For example, in a 2013 HuffPost/YouGov poll of 1,000 American adults, 32% of respondents answered yes to the question: “Have you ever...
Fantasies, Myth vs Fact
September 16, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Popular media reports frequently tout the damage that pornography use does to relationships. Some articles have made pretty bold claims, such as “porn-free relationships are stronger,” “watching porn can diminish...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
September 14, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Popular media—films, television shows, and books—are common sources of sexual fantasy inspiration. In fact, in the study of 4,175 Americans’ sexual fantasies I conducted for my book Tell Me What...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
September 11, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people struggle when it comes to finding long-term relationship happiness. So what can we do about this? As economist Rebekka Grun argues in the TEDx talk below,...
Videos
September 9, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that different people define sex in radically different ways.Most research to date has focused on heterosexual, college-age adults and their views of sex, which reveals that penetrative...
Sex Ed
September 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Public opinion polls reveal that a majority of Americans believe in the concept of a “soulmate.” For instance, according to a YouGov poll of 2,984 adults conducted earlier this year,...
Dating & Relationships
September 4, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Kissing is one of the most common sexual and romantic behaviors in many cultures around the world; however, kissing is far from a universal activity. In fact, researchers haven't found...
Sex Ed
August 31, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
How much “should” you spend on engagement and wedding rings? If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably heard that 2-3 months’ salary is the rule of thumb; however, that’s a...
Dating & Relationships
August 28, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What’s going on in the world of sex and relationship research right now? Here’s a brief recap of the latest and greatest happenings. In this edition, we’ll review a new...
Sex Ed
August 26, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
According to numerous media reports, sex toy retailers around the world reported a surge in sales since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic began, especially during the period when lockdowns were widespread.Of...
Sex Ed
August 24, 2020 by Katie Adams
When I was an undergraduate student, the weekends usually meant parties. And Sunday brunches often consisted of friends dishing on any hookups that occurred at those parties. Looking back on...
Sex Ed
August 21, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader sent the following question:How many people are into dirty talk? What turns people on about it?There’s a lot of research out there on sexual communication, but surprisingly little...
Sex Ed, Sex Q&A
August 19, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-seven years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. This...
Sex Ed
August 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual behavior patterns change with the seasons. Historically, there has been a reliable peak in sexual activity during the summer months. But is our usual summer peak going to...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
August 10, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
As someone who studies the science of sexual fantasies, something I’ve been curious about is whether this pandemic has affected our fantasies in any way. This situation has touched a...
Sex Ed
August 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sadism and masochism involve deriving pleasure from the experience of giving and receiving pain, respectively. This can take a number of forms, from spanking to whipping to flogging and beyond...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
August 5, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of research has looked at the traits and characteristics of the people most likely to cheat on their romantic partners. But what about people who get cheated on?...
Dating & Relationships
August 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting the world of dating and relationships? According to sex therapist Esther Perel, disasters like this are a “relationship accelerator.” What exactly does she mean...
Videos
July 31, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A question I often get asked is “what are the red flags I should watch out for in a new relationship?” While it can be hard to know early on...
Dating & Relationships
July 27, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism (BDSM) is one of the most popular sexual fantasies and a significant number of people report having engaged in BDSM acts before.So why is it such...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
July 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Survey studies have found that many men report having sent unsolicited photos of their penises (“dick pics”) to other people before—but how many people say they’ve ever received such a...
Gender, Sex Ed
July 22, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
There are lots of ways to end a romantic relationship, but some people choose to “ghost” their former partner. Ghosting is defined as “ending a romantic relationship by cutting off...
Dating & Relationships
July 20, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Some of my colleagues and I at The Kinsey Institute started a study in mid-March to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and social distancing on people’s intimate...
Sex Ed
July 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
When you fantasize about sex, do you appear in your own fantasies? If so, do you appear as you do in real life, or do you change yourself in some...
Fantasies, Sex Ed
July 15, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual fantasies appear to reflect, at least in part, our personality traits and characteristics. I studied the sexual fantasies of 4,175 Americans from all 50 states for my book...
Videos
July 10, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:“I hear the terms kink and fetish being used in a pretty interchangeable way most of the time. However, I feel like they are two...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
July 8, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual inactivity is on the rise among young adults. In the last two decades, the number of people—especially men—reporting that they haven’t had sex in the past year has risen...
Sex Ed
July 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Female genital cosmetic surgery is on the rise. While these procedures are still relatively uncommon compared to breast augmentation and other cosmetic procedures, they are increasing at a fast rate....
Sex Ed
July 2, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
According to Gallup's 2020 Moral Issues Survey, Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to become more liberal overall. In fact, for many of the issues on this survey, Gallup recorded...
Sex Ed
June 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
One topic that is conspicuously absent in most sexuality education courses is pleasure [1]. Most of us only ever learn about the potential risks associated with sex and how to...
Sex Tips
June 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Infidelity is common. Studies have reliably found that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 married adults report having had sex outside of their relationship at some point. For...
Dating & Relationships
June 26, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex toys have never been more popular than they are right now. Sales have been steadily increasing for years, but they really surged during lockdown and quarantine.Despite their growing popularity,...
Sex Tips
June 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
When I first got into sex research, I started studying friends with benefits (FWBs). I had been teaching college courses on human sexuality for a few years at that point...
Dating & Relationships
June 22, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Tomorrow (June 23) marks the birthday of Dr. Alfred Kinsey, one of the most famous figures in the world of sex research. Kinsey was born in 1894 and died in...
Sex Ed
June 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years back, I launched the Sex Studies page on Sex and Psychology with the goal of helping to connect sex researchers with potential participants, and it has been...
Sex Ed
June 15, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In recent years, I have noticed an increasing trend in both public and academic discourse on sex to conflate unwanted sexual activity with nonconsensual sexual activity. For example, in many...
Sex Ed
June 12, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a significant public health concern, with cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia recently reaching a record high in the United States. There is much work...
Safe Sex
June 8, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I have received several questions from readers recently on the psychology of prejudice. Where does it come from? Why are racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of bias so common?...
Psychology
June 5, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Events over the last several weeks have got me thinking more about what I can do to make a difference when it comes to fighting against entrenched forms of inequality...
Psychology
June 5, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Mating practices vary widely across different species—and they often occur in very unexpected ways. This is especially true when we look at how deep sea creatures mate.For example, lobsters engage...
Videos
June 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In the wake of Kobe Bryant’s death earlier this year, an ESPN news anchor shared a heartfelt story about Bryant’s love of being a father. The emotional tribute instantly went...
Sex Ed
June 2, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of you only know me as a sex educator and researcher, but I actually started my career teaching college courses on the psychology of prejudice—and I ended up teaching...
Media & Culture
June 1, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Cheating and infidelity are common. Studies reliably find that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 married couples in the US reported having stepped out on their partner at...
Dating & Relationships
May 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:“Do more attractive people have more sexual partners?”According to the research I’ve seen, there does seem to be a link between physical attractiveness and number...
Sex Ed
May 27, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
“No Blacks.” “No Asians.” It’s not uncommon to see phrases like these on sex and dating apps, in which people categorically exclude entire racial groups from consideration.Many have referred to...
Dating & Relationships
May 25, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A common refrain in many anti-prostitution arguments is that sex work is inherently exploitative and that it perpetuates gender inequality. Built into these arguments is an assumption that men who...
Sex Ed
May 22, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Interest in polyamory—and consensual non-monogamy more broadly—is on the rise. Google searches related to polyamory are increasing, apps for polyamorous dating are springing up, and popular media depictions of polyamorous...
Videos
May 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Two months ago, I published a blog post titled “Can the Coronavirus be Transmitted Through Sex?” At the time, I wrote that “there haven’t been any scientific studies as of...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
May 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
May is Masturbation Month, so let’s talk about self-pleasure! In this post, we’ll explore twelve things scientists have learned from the study of masturbation, including who does it, why, how,...
Sex Ed
May 15, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I am a straight and happily married man, but lately I have had fantasies about other men. Some of them are just about me and...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
May 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s May, and that means it’s Masturbation Month! With many of us living under lockdown and quarantine orders at the moment, now seems like the perfect time to talk about...
Videos
May 11, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Much has been said and written about how pornography use has changed during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, including on this blog (see here). However, almost all of the information we...
Sex Ed
May 8, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that around 1% of the population is asexual, a term usually defined as either a lack of sexual attraction or a lack of desire for partnered sexual...
LGBTQIA+
May 6, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Anecdotally, I’ve heard from a lot of people who have said that they reached out to (or heard from) an ex-partner since the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic began. But just how...
Dating & Relationships
May 1, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I was recently invited to write a book chapter on nonmonogamy in LGBTQ+ relationships, and one of the things I wanted to do in it was compare the prevalence of...
Dating & Relationships, LGBTQIA+
April 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
During this time of lockdowns and quarantines, I know that many of you are looking for ways to pass the time, so allow me to suggest some entertaining and educational...
Media & Culture
April 29, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise, and many people are curious about the reasons why. While the cause is obviously multifactorial, some have suggested that at least part...
Myth vs Fact, Safe Sex
April 27, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
April is STD Awareness Month, so let’s take a little time to set the record straight on some popular myths about sexually transmitted infections and diseases. In this post, we’ll...
Myth vs Fact, Safe Sex
April 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I recently discovered that my husband is attracted to transsexuals (MTF - non op). This is the only type of porn that he looks at....
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
April 22, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What’s going on in the world of sex research today? What are some of the biggest controversies and challenges? I recently sat down with a few of my colleagues to...
Sex Ed, Videos
April 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
As a practicing sex therapist, I often see two partners legitimately trying to bridge a satisfaction gap between each other, but they can’t seem to get the moves just right....
Sex Tips
April 10, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I know that many of you are bored and horny right now during this lockdown and quarantine period, so allow me to recommend some of my favorite sex books! If...
Books & Films
April 8, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Depression is one of the most common mental health issues in the United States. In fact, according to the National Institutes of Mental Health, 1 in 14 Americans experienced an...
Videos
April 6, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
For decades, researchers have been studying the effectiveness of different kinds of pick-up lines in order to better understand the psychology of attraction. What they’ve found is that certain types...
Dating & Relationships
April 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of conflicting media reports out right now about how the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic is affecting people’s sex drives. Some are saying that all of the stress...
Media & Culture, Sex Ed
April 1, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
The clitoris is an organ that has been wildly misunderstood and mischaracterized for most of human history. The last three decades have dramatically changed the way that scientists think and...
Videos
March 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Most research on people who patronize sex workers has focused on men. In some ways, this isn’t surprising because men are much more likely to report having paid for sex...
Sex Ed
March 23, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
For women who aren’t using any kind of hormonal contraception, their bodies undergo a series of natural fluctuations in hormone levels across the menstrual cycle. Studies have found that these...
Dating & Relationships
March 20, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Many of us are finding ourselves spending a lot more time at home due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, especially those of us in lockdown areas. For people who live...
Dating & Relationships
March 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few weeks, I’ve seen a ton of headlines predicting a massive baby boom stemming from the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic—and some people are making very bold claims. Case...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact, Safe Sex
March 18, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In any relationship, you’re bound to discover that your partner has one or two (or maybe ten or twenty) quirks that eventually come to annoy you. In these situations, it's...
Videos
March 16, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has prompted a lot of questions, including many questions about exactly how this virus spreads. One that I’ve been hearing a lot about lately is whether...
Safe Sex
March 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What do people want to know about sex?Here are the ten most read question-and-answer articles of all time on the blog. These questions (all submitted by readers of Sex and...
Sex Q&A
March 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
There is no escape from coronavirus news. It’s all anyone can talk about on my social media feeds and everywhere I go. It’s permeating every aspect of our lives, including...
Media & Culture
March 11, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In my last post, I wrote about people who fantasize about having sex ‘forced’ on them. Today, we’re going to talk about the flip side of these fantasies: people who...
Sex Ed
March 9, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Have you ever fantasized about being ‘forced’ to have sex? If so, you’re not alone. Fantasies about being taken against one’s will (sometimes known as ‘forced sex fantasies,’ ‘rape fantasies,’...
Sex Ed
March 6, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years ago, I launched the Sex Studies page on Sex and Psychology, with the goal of helping to connect sex researchers with prospective participants. I’m pleased to say...
Sex Ed
March 4, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
People today are less likely to report using condoms than they were in the past. For example, among teens, the number who reported using a condom the last time they...
Safe Sex
March 2, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
When you hear the word orgasm, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?Odds are, you probably thought about pleasure because most of us tend to equate orgasms with positive...
Sex Ed
February 28, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about the difference between being bisexual versus being pansexual. There seems to be a lot of confusion about what these terms really...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
February 26, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people don’t feel comfortable sharing their sexual wants and needs with their partners. For example, when I surveyed more than 4,000 Americans about their sexual fantasies for...
Potpourri
February 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Teens across the United States have wildly inconsistent experiences with sex education. More than 20 states do not even require that sex education be taught at all, and even in...
Safe Sex
February 21, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
‘How do I become a sex researcher?’ I get this question a lot from students who want to know what degree they should pursue in order to enter the field....
Psychology
February 19, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
We aren’t experiencing as much sexual pleasure as we used to. So what can we do to fix that?Dr. Nan Wise, a cognitive neuroscientist and certified sex therapist, has the...
Interviews
February 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
We’ve long known that scarcity plays an important role in sexual attraction. For example, in a classic study, research assistants approached people at a bar at different points during the...
Sex Ed
February 14, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Porn searches are seasonal. When we look at trends in people’s porn searches throughout the year, they follow a predictable pattern of changes that reflect seasonal events and holidays. For...
Potpourri
February 12, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A female reader recently asked the following question:“One of my first experiences in the bedroom was anal. This was about 3 years ago and it was a rather good experience....
Sex Q&A
February 7, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Oral sex is one of the most common sexual activities in the United States today. In fact, a majority of American adults under age 50 say they have both given and received...
Safe Sex
February 5, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people seem to be under the impression that, if you watch enough porn, your brain will build up a tolerance to it. The result is that you...
Sex Ed
February 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Almost everyone has sexual fantasies, and most of us have them often. We fantasize about a wide range of activities, from group sex to BDSM to doing something that is...
Sex Ed
January 31, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader recently wrote to ask me a question about their biggest sexual fantasy. He said:“I have always had a sexual fantasy about getting shrunken down and eaten by a...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
January 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Strengthening your pelvic floor muscles through Kegel exercises is a well-established way of giving your sex life a boost. Indeed, study after study has found that these exercises offer a...
Sex Tips
January 24, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
“Across the alt-right movement, leaders are telling young men not to masturbate, “ says clinical psychologist Dr. David Ley in a recent interview. Why is that? In part, because some...
Myth vs Fact
January 22, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
On the heels of appearing in the new Netflix series Sex, Explained, I also appeared in an episode of Dr. Phil’s television program! Talk about getting the new year off to...
Potpourri
January 21, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
How does marijuana affect people’s sex lives? According to scientific research, it seems to be an aphrodisiac for a lot of people. For example, a 2017 study published in the Journal of Sexual...
Sex Ed
January 20, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists and psychiatrists typically use the term paraphilia to refer to unusual or uncommon sexual interests or activities. Hundreds of desires have been described as paraphilias over the years, although there are currently...
Kink & BDSM
January 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a big gap between fantasy and reality. When I surveyed more than 4,000 adults about their sexual fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want, I found...
Fantasies, Potpourri
January 17, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission updates its database on “consumer product-related injuries” that occur in the United States. It’s a public health tool that tracks emergency room...
Kink & BDSM
January 13, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
In the late 1980s, British police launched a massive investigation into men who were participating in sadomasochistic acts with other men in the United Kingdom. Known as Operation Spanner, the...
Kink & BDSM
January 10, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
What’s going on in the world of sex and relationship research right now? Here’s a brief recap of the latest and greatest happenings. In this edition, we’ll review a new...
Sex Ed
January 8, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Living single as an adult has long been stigmatized, with singles being viewed as “incomplete” due to their lack of a relationship [1]. Not only that, but singles are often...
Dating & Relationships
January 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve been sitting on some very exciting news for the last few months: I’m featured in the first episode of a new series from Netflix and Vox titled Sex, Explained!...
Potpourri
January 3, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Rough sex is one of the most popular sexual fantasies. While it’s a common fantasy theme across genders, it is especially common among women. As I discuss in my book...
Gender, Sex Ed
January 1, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Each time a new year begins, a lot of people make resolutions for self-improvement. Some of us resolve to lose weight or to get in better shape, others vow to...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 30, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
2019 has been memorable for a lot of reasons—including what science taught us about sex. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most interesting things we learned about sex...
Sex Ed
December 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2019 winds down, let's look back at this year's ten most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The following posts represent a very diverse range of content and, combined,...
Potpourri
December 23, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornhub just released their 2019 year-in-review of users’ viewing habits and, as usual, the results were fascinating. They reported an average of 115 million site visitors per day this year,...
Sex Ed
December 20, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, Sex and Psychology is officially eight years old! When I started blogging in 2011, I had no idea where this journey would take me, but it...
Potpourri
December 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex is seasonal, to some degree. Researchers have found that our sexual activity patterns ebb and flow throughout the year, and there’s an interesting change taking place right now. Sex...
Potpourri, Videos
December 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people are hard at work right now trying to find the perfect holiday gift for a significant other. Allow me to make your job a little easier...
Sex Ed
December 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Americans have become increasingly fond of calling pornography a “public health crisis.” Those who claim this frequently cite adolescents’ “rampant access to pornography” as a central concern. Parents are encouraged...
Sex Ed
December 11, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
We all like to imagine that our decision making is clear and logical and that we’re weighing the pros and cons before we act. The truth, however, is that we’re...
Gender, Sex Ed
December 9, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I am currently on vacation and traveling through Asia, with stops in Japan, Thailand, and the Philippines! It’s an exciting trip and I’m sure I’ll have a lot to share...
Potpourri
December 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I listen to a lot of podcasts, and NPR’s Planet Money is one of my favorites. Generally speaking, their episodes don’t have much to do with sex or sexuality; however,...
Safe Sex
December 4, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and Psychology is about to celebrate it’s eighth anniversary! To date, every single post on the site has been written by me. In fact, I’ve blogged three times per...
Potpourri
December 2, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently interviewed Dr. Christopher Ryan (author of Sex at Dawn) about his latest book, Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress. Ryan argues that while we like to think...
Books & Films, Interviews
November 29, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Can’t decide what to buy the sexy people in your life this holiday season? I have you covered. Check out the all new Sex and Psychology Store! You’ll find everything...
Potpourri
November 28, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
To all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don't forget to be thankful for sex! Research suggests that sex is good for us in a lot of ways, both physically...
Potpourri
November 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a tendency to believe that civilization is our greatest human accomplishment and to think that every advance we’ve made—whether scientific, medical, or otherwise—has made things better because it has...
Books & Films, Interviews
November 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
My book Tell Me What You Want is based on the largest survey of sexual fantasies ever conducted in the United States. I surveyed more than 4,000 Americans from across...
Potpourri
November 20, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Winter is coming, and that means “cuffing season” is about to get underway. Cuffing season is a term that, to the best of my knowledge, popped up about 10 years...
Dating & Relationships
November 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people report dreaming about sex from time to time. For example, one study found that 93% of men and 86% of women said they’d had sex dreams before. But...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Have you ever fantasized about what it would be like to be in a sexually open relationship? If so, you’re not the only one. It turns out that being involved...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most popular posts I’ve ever written on the blog was about why so many men send unsolicited dick pics to women. At the time, there wasn’t really...
Sex Ed
November 11, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I grew up in the 1980s, so I couldn’t help but know who Dr. Ruth was. Her popularity exploded and she was absolutely everywhere. I heard her on the radio....
Books & Films
November 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Is child sexual abuse inevitable? A lot of people seem to be under the impression that it’s only a matter of time before someone who is attracted to children acts...
Videos
November 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
If you're reading this post, odds are that you love learning about the latest sex research. But have you ever wanted to go beyond reading about it and take part...
Sex Ed
November 4, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Every November, a bunch of guys on the internet challenge each other to go a whole month without ejaculating. It’s “No Nut November,” as they call it. Men do this...
Videos
November 1, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do people engage in risky sexual behaviors? This is, of course, a complex question and there are obviously many contributing factors. For example, some people take sexual risks because...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
October 30, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
It is a widely known fact that people sometimes pretend to orgasm during sex. But just how many have ever done it? Why do they do it? And how do...
Gender, Sex Ed
October 28, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual interests are seasonal. For example, if you look at trends in porn searches throughout the year, you’ll see that they follow a predictable pattern of changes that reflect...
Potpourri
October 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
With Halloween just around the corner, people will soon start dressing up as all kinds of mythical creatures, from werewolves to vampires to mermaids and beyond. Most people who dress...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
October 23, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What counts as a sexual “problem?” It depends who you ask. For example, consider the phenomenon often referred to as “premature ejaculation” among men. What I’m talking about here are...
Sex Tips
October 21, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Alcohol, marijuana, and ecstasy/MDMA/Molly are among the most popular substances people use to enhance their sexual experiences. But when it comes to their effects, how similar or different are these...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
October 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator and researcher, one of the most common questions I get asked (besides “am I normal?”) is how a couple can stay sexually connected and passionate for...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
October 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The refractory period is usually defined as a phase following orgasm during which additional orgasms are impossible. Sexual arousal is often said to be very difficult during this time as...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
October 14, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Casual sex is common, and studies suggest that most people will have it at one point or another. However, despite its prevalence, casual sex is widely misunderstood. Here are nine...
Gender, Sex Ed
October 9, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it mean to be sex positive? This is one of those terms that different people define in different ways; however, at the core of most definitions is the...
Psychology
October 7, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Relationships in which a woman is significantly older than her male partner have always attracted a lot of attention and scrutiny. Case in point: remember what big news it was...
Dating & Relationships
October 2, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A few weeks ago, I posted an article about the beautiful—but sexually deceitful—orchid. Some orchids have evolved to mimic the appearance and scent of female bees in order to lure...
Sex Ed
September 30, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In Jack Morin’s classic book The Erotic Mind, he describes the “erotic equation” as follows: Attraction + Obstacles = ExcitementWhat this equation means is basically that if we’re attracted to...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
September 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Adolescents today have greater access to a wider range of pornography than any previous generation. So how is it affecting them? This question is the crux of a new episode...
Interviews, Sex Ed
September 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How does pornography affect the way that teens think about and approach sex? Is there a link between pornography and sexual violence, as many in the media have claimed? Also...
Sex Ed, Videos
September 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Do people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a more difficult time being monogamous? Are they more inclined to be in sexually open relationships? Sex therapist Ari Tuckman just published...
Interviews
September 23, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce the seventh annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next February prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology....
Sex Ed
September 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection and it’s responsible for a number of negative health effects. In addition to genital warts, it has the potential...
Safe Sex
September 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The traditional model of academic publishing restricts access to research by putting it in the hands of private companies. As a result, I’ve had to work hard to make my...
Psychology
September 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I’m excited to announce a unique study abroad opportunity in conjunction with the Sexual Health Alliance. We are offering a one-week study abroad program in Amsterdam focused on sex and...
Psychology
September 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sperm and other microscopic organisms don’t have an easy time traveling from Point A to Point B. When an organism is that small, traveling just one inch is actually an...
Videos
September 11, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How does attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affect people in adult life? Specifically, what are the implications for people’s sexual and romantic relationships? For the answers to these questions, I spoke...
Gender, Interviews
September 9, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A large number of people have sexual fantasies that are impossible to act out because they feature elements of science fiction. As some evidence of this, I surveyed more than...
Sex Ed
September 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In many countries, including the United States, persons with intellectual disabilities are deemed unable to provide sexual consent. The argument behind this is usually that these individuals cannot understand the...
Videos
September 4, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When people become friends with benefits (FWBs), what is it that they truly want from that arrangement? Are they just in it for the “benefits” (that is, sex)? Or are...
Dating & Relationships
September 2, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Narcissism is a frequently maligned personality trait that involves being self-centered, entitled, and holding grandiose views of oneself. Sex researchers have long been interested in how narcissism plays out in...
Dating & Relationships, Gender, Sex Ed
August 28, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
If you're reading this, odds are that you love learning about the latest sex research. But have you ever wanted to go beyond just reading about it and perhaps take...
Sex Ed
August 26, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people approach sex in a goal-oriented fashion, thinking that there are certain things they need to do or “achieve” every time. High on this list is the...
Sex Tips
August 23, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The menstrual cycle is a rare phenomenon in nature. In fact, it turns out that human beings are just one of a handful of species on Earth in which females...
Videos
August 21, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to infidelity, which behaviors count and which ones don’t? It turns out that different people answer this question in very different ways.. That said, there are some...
Dating & Relationships
August 19, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-six years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. As...
Sex Ed
August 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What does your use of emojis say about your sex and dating life? According to a new study published in the journal PLoS ONE, a lot, actually. In fact, frequent...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
August 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I keep two plants in my home at all times. One is some leafy thing I bought years ago—I’m not really sure what it is, but it refuses to die...
Potpourri, Videos
August 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Here's an updated list of the ten most read question-and-answer features of all time on the blog. These questions (all submitted by readers of Sex and Psychology) span a very...
Sex Q&A
August 9, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
We are getting closer and closer to eradicating HIV, a sexually transmitted infection that has contributed to the deaths of at least 32 million people worldwide since the early 1980s....
Safe Sex, Videos
August 7, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How have Americans’ sexual behaviors changed over the past quarter of a century? A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior offers some insight. In this study, researchers...
Sex Ed
August 5, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Why are we sexually attracted to some people, but not others? Where do our attractions come from in the first place? As a social psychologist who has studied issues of...
Dating & Relationships
August 2, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The orgasm gap refers to the well-documented research finding that heterosexual men tend to have more consistent experiences with orgasm than heterosexual women. Specifically, men are not only more likely...
Sex Ed, Videos
July 31, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Keeping a relationship secret is exciting, right? That's what movies and television shows might lead you to believe. Couples who sneak around together are usually depicted as full of passion...
Dating & Relationships
July 29, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
BDSM has long been deemed a paraphilia—meaning an unusual sexual interest—by psychologists and psychiatrists. The classification of BDSM as a paraphilia implies that it’s likely to be a pretty rare...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
July 26, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. More than one hundred strains of HPV exist and, while most of them don’t cause problems,...
Safe Sex, Videos
July 24, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Polyamory is a concept that different people define in different ways, but common to most definitions is the capacity to develop more than one emotionally close relationship at the same...
Dating & Relationships
July 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I surveyed 4,175 Americans about their sexual fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want. Since this book came out, one of the more common questions I’ve been asked...
Sex Ed
July 19, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Generally speaking, people tend to select romantic partners who hold similar political views. For example, consider a recent study in which researchers looked at party registration patterns of heterosexual married...
Dating & Relationships
July 17, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Three Women is a bestselling new book on sexual desire written by journalist Lisa Taddeo. It offers a deep dive into the sex lives and relationships of three American women...
Gender, Interviews
July 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Who’s your celebrity crush? I surveyed more than 4,000 American adults about their sexual fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want and, among other things, I asked them...
Gender, Sex Ed
July 10, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Three Women is a fascinating new book on sexual desire written by journalist Lisa Taddeo. It takes a deep dive into the sex lives and relationships of three American women...
Interviews
July 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How does marijuana affect men in the bedroom? Dozens of scientific studies have been published on the topic, and here’s what we’ve learned so far. Marijuana affects the subjective experience...
Sex Q&A
July 5, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people end relationships before ever truly giving them a chance, and it's because many of us take the "shopping list" approach to love. In other words, some...
Videos
July 3, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex researcher, I’ve read a lot of studies on the subject of pornography. One thing that’s been pretty consistent across most of them is that what counts as...
Sex Ed
July 1, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
According to the results of Gallup's 2019 Moral Issues Survey, Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to become more liberal overall. In fact, for many of the issues Americans were...
Sex Ed
June 28, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
People can predict with modest accuracy whether a man (but not a woman) has cheated before based solely on the appearance of his face, according to a recent study published...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
June 26, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Much has been said and written in the popular media about the length of time it typically takes men and women to reach orgasm; however, most of this information is...
Gender, Sex Ed
June 24, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex is seasonal. Our patterns of sexual activity ebb and flow throughout the year, and right now we’re entering peak territory because it’s officially summer. Research from a variety of...
Sex Ed
June 21, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What percentage of Americans today identify as LGBT? And does this percentage differ across age groups? Also, how many Americans currently support same-sex marriage? And just how much does support...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
June 19, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexuality continues to be a widely misunderstood sexual orientation. Given that this is LGBT Pride Month, I thought it would be useful to put together an article that explores some...
LGBTQIA+
June 17, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual sadists are people who derive arousal from inflicting pain on others. This could be physical pain, such as hitting someone else, or it could be psychological pain, such as...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed, Sex Q&A
June 14, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists have been working on developing a birth control pill for men for years. One prominent line of research has focused on using hormones to block production of sperm; however,...
Safe Sex, Videos
June 12, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How does sexual satisfaction change over time in a relationship? The good news is that scientists have found that it increases. The bad news is that this increase only occurs...
Sex Ed
June 10, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Gonorrhea is a relatively common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can be passed along through oral, vaginal, and anal sex. It was once thought that these were the only sexual...
Safe Sex
June 7, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What are the keys to a leading a happy and healthy sex life? And how do you unlock your authentic sexual self? Dr. Emily Nagoski addresses these questions in the...
Videos
June 5, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
There are lots of articles out there describing the most-viewed porn categories on Pornhub and other popular adult sites—however, that’s not what this article is. While big data insights from...
Gender, Sex Ed
June 3, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
June is LGBT Pride Month, so I'll be running several posts on LGBTQ+ issues on the blog over the next few weeks. To get us started, let's begin by debunking...
LGBTQIA+, Myth vs Fact
May 31, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A few days ago, I received several messages from friends saying they heard a segment on NPR about kink that mentioned me. Naturally, I was curious to give it a...
Safe Sex
May 29, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Whenever someone asks what I do for a living, I have a decision to make: do I “out” myself as a sex scientist, or do I give a generic answer...
Psychology
May 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The internet is rife with articles describing people’s frustration with online dating apps like Tinder. It’s interesting when you think about it because these apps were designed to make dating...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
May 24, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The way we think about casual sex is all wrong, as Dr. Terri Conley argues in the TEDx talk below. Conely walks us through some of the key findings from...
Gender, Videos
May 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Penis size is a common body concern among men. While most guys report being satisfied with the size of their genitals, a sizable minority say they’re unhappy. For example, in...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
May 20, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex researcher, I’ve learned a lot about what it is that people fantasize about when it comes sex. In many of the fantasies I’ve heard, something I’ve noticed...
Sex Q&A
May 17, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
You just might be taking your sense of smell for granted, argues Dr. Rachel Herz in the TEDx video below. In this talk, Herz describes how little appreciation we have...
Videos
May 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When asked to describe a memorable regret, the things people mention most often involve love, sex, and romance. Common regrets include lost opportunities (like “the one that got away”), cheating...
Gender
May 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it say about you if you’re into kinky or BDSM sex? Is it a serious leisure activity, or is it an innate aspect of your sexuality? Could the...
Kink & BDSM, LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
May 10, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to men’s options for birth control, they really only have two choices: wear a condom or get a vasectomy. While the number of options available to women...
Safe Sex, Videos
May 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Cohabitation, or the act of living together with a partner outside of marriage, used to be a rarity. However, it has become quite common in the modern world. Many now...
Dating & Relationships
May 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The percentage of Americans who identify as LGBT is on the rise. Data from Gallup and other national surveys suggest that, as attitudes toward sexual minorities have become more positive,...
LGBTQIA+
May 3, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
According to countless popular media articles, there is a massive disparity between heterosexual men and women when it comes to giving oral sex. Some of these articles suggest that, in...
Gender, Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
May 1, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How does marijuana affect women’s sexual functioning? A recent study published in the journal Sexual Medicine sought to find out. Researchers anonymously surveyed hundreds of women visiting an obstetrics and...
Sex Ed
April 29, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States, the average age of first sexual intercourse is 17 for men, according to data from the CDC. The number is roughly the same for women, and...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
April 26, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the popular media, pornography has seemingly become the default source of blame for any and all sexual problems. Why are we in a “sex recession?” Porn. Why do we...
Myth vs Fact
April 24, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and aging is a topic that has been underexplored in sexuality research, given that the bulk of sex studies to date have focused on college students. However, we’ve learned...
Gender, Sex Ed
April 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Finding a compatible partner is one of the cornerstones of a happy and healthy relationship. But how do you determine who you’re compatible with? Intuitively, you might think the answer...
Dating & Relationships
April 19, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
For humans, sex isn’t just about gratifying some carnal, animalistic urge. Rather, the physical act of sex can serve a lot of different psychological purposes. This helps to explain why...
Videos
April 17, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people have ever been involved in a consensual non-monogamous (CNM) relationship before? The results of two recent studies involving nationally representative samples (one from the United States and...
Dating & Relationships
April 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Some physicians argue that male circumcision should be a routine procedure because it can help fight the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Not only does circumcision reduce men’s odds...
Myth vs Fact, Safe Sex
April 12, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual consent is all about having solid communication with your partner(s). However, many of us aren’t very good communicators in general when it comes to sex and, further, many of...
Videos
April 10, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
People have been making obscene telephone calls for almost as long as the telephone has been in existence. In recent years, however, they have begun to change form, as digital...
Kink & BDSM
April 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I have written quite a bit about similarities and differences in the sexual fantasies of self-identified men and women (see here for a summary). Of course, however, not everyone identifies...
LGBTQIA+
April 5, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator and researcher, one of the more common questions I get asked is when and how to talk to your kids about sex. Case in point: a...
Sex Ed
April 3, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
What do you do after sex? Some people like to spoon or cuddle, others go to sleep, and yet others get up to grab something to eat or drink. But...
Dating & Relationships
April 1, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The idea that gay parents are more likely to have gay children has long been thought to be a myth among sexual orientation researchers. For example, a review of the...
LGBTQIA+
March 29, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Maintaining sexual desire is a challenge that many long-term couples face. So how do you keep the passion alive? As sex and relationship therapist Esther Perel argues, one of the...
Videos
March 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The science of orgasm is a fascinating subject. In this post, we’ll take a look at seven of the most interesting things scientists have discovered about orgasms. What to learn...
Sex Ed
March 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts, neuroscientists Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam analyzed the contents of over a billion searches on some of the most popular porn sites. They...
Sex Ed
March 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
People have a lot of wrong ideas about how relationships work, and these romantic myths and misconceptions can interfere with our ability to find happiness.
Sex Ed, Videos
March 20, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few years, Google Trends has become a favored research tools of sex scientists. Because not everyone is willing to participate in sex studies for various reasons, Google...
Sex Ed
March 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States today, adolescents' experiences with sex education are anything but consistent. Believe it or not, less than half of all states even require that sex education be...
Safe Sex
March 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
From an evolutionary standpoint, it makes sense that males of a given species tend to be attracted to females and vice versa because this will encourage frequent reproduction and survival...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
March 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Which sexual fantasies have you had? I surveyed 4,175 Americans about the content of their sex fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want and found seven major themes...
Gender, Sex Ed
March 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When you start seeing someone new, when’s the right time to begin having sex with that person? According to a non-scientific survey of OK Cupid users, people are all over...
Sex Ed
March 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Gizmodo recently published an exposé on Daniel Sendler, someone who presented himself as a sex expert to the popular media and succeeded in getting a lot of publicity for himself...
Psychology
March 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last year, I have been approached to consult on a number of legal cases that center around disputes over whether a given sex act constituted consensual BDSM or...
Books & Films
February 27, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornhub’s annual year-in-review always offers tantalizing insights into what it is that turns people on—and last year’s review was no exception. I recently wrote about some of the top search...
LGBTQIA+
February 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) recognizes February as National Condom Month. For my part in helping to increase awareness of and education about condoms, I’ve put together the following...
Safe Sex
February 22, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
I spend a lot of time reading scientific journal articles as part of my job and, every now and then, I come across a paper that makes me say “WTF?”...
LGBTQIA+
February 20, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Whenever a major sporting competition is about to occur, it’s common to see news articles about athletes who say they will be abstaining from sex until the event is over....
Sex Ed
February 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Difficulties with sexual desire and arousal are common among women and men alike. Unfortunately, medications don’t always fix these problems, in part, because many of these issues have psychological causes,...
Interviews, Videos
February 15, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a LOT of things that people get wrong when it comes to sex and relationships. As someone who studies these topics for a living, I’ve noticed that some...
Sex Ed, Videos
February 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Valentine’s Day is almost upon us and many people have love on the brain. So let’s talk about the science of love! I’ve put together a video compiling five things...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 13, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
“Though we often associate love with the heart, the true magic can be seen inside the brain.”This fascinating video by ASAP Science explores the neurobiology behind love. It turns out...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 11, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Vasectomies are one of the most underutilized forms of birth control, in part, because a lot of men are worried about the procedure having a number of negative effects on...
Safe Sex
February 8, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Erectile dysfunction or ED is one of the most common sexual difficulties experienced by men. As with most sexual difficulties, there are numerous potential causes, including some that are biological,...
Sex Tips
February 6, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Feederism has been described as "a fat fetish focused on erotic eating, feeding, and gaining weight" [1]. There are two types of people who exist within this fetish culture: feeders...
Kink & BDSM
February 4, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The mental health community has long been interested in developing treatments for persons who are attracted to prepubescent children with the goal of preventing sexual offenses. In fact, if you...
Kink & BDSM
February 1, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Paraphilia is the term psychiatrists and psychologists use to refer to any type of unusual or “non-normative” sexual interest. The number of sexual fantasies that have been deemed paraphilic has...
Sex Ed
January 30, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to what men and women want in a romantic partner, they’re stereotyped as wanting drastically different things. However, research suggests that they actually have a lot in...
Dating & Relationships
January 28, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
How long do you want to spend on sex? And how long do you actually spend on sex when you have it? Research suggests that there’s often a discrepancy in...
Sex Ed
January 25, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
There's a lot we can potentially gain from talking to our partners about our sexual fantasies. Among other things, this has the potential to increase our sexual and relationship satisfaction...
Sex Ed, Videos
January 23, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Purchasing sex used to be a very common behavior among American men. For example, Alfred Kinsey’s famous studies of human sexual behavior from the 1940s and 50s found that 69%...
Gender, Sex Ed
January 21, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
It seems as though every time a video game becomes a major hit, porn inspired by that game becomes a big thing. For example, when the PokémonGo craze hit in...
Sex Ed
January 18, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Readers of the blog often send me their questions about sex and relationships, and one that I’ve heard several times recently concerns infidelity and whether there are any reliable indicators...
Sex Q&A, Videos
January 16, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent study suggests that Americans are having less sex today than they were a quarter-century ago. These findings have received a lot of attention—I covered them on the blog...
Sex Ed
January 14, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
In 2017, we added a new word to our sexual vocabulary: stealthing. A paper published in the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law defined it as “nonconsensual condom removal during...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
January 11, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual orientation is something that many people consider to be an innate characteristic—it’s something you’re born with. This idea is popular within the LGBTQ community, and it’s something that has...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
January 9, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Readers of the blog frequently send me questions about sex, and I’ve noticed that some of them seem to pop up more often than others. One that I find myself...
Sex Q&A
January 7, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
The human body produces a number of different fluids—and those fluids represent a sexual turn-on for some people. From semen and sweat to blood and breast milk, almost any body...
Gender, Sex Ed
January 2, 2019 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornhub recently released their 2018 year-in-review of users’ viewing habits and the results were fascinating. Among other things, they reported an average of 92 million site visitors per day in...
Sex Ed
December 31, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time a new year comes around, people start making resolutions for self-improvement. For example, some of us resolve to lose weight or to get in shape, others vow to...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 30, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of stereotypes about female sex workers, and one is that no woman would ever choose this profession voluntarily. Some people see sex work as inherently victimizing,...
Sex Ed
December 28, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2018 winds down, let's take a look back at this year's ten most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The following posts represent an incredibly diverse range of content...
Potpourri
December 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
2018 has been memorable for a lot of reasons—including what science taught us about sex. Here’s a quick recap of some of the most interesting things we learned about sex...
Sex Ed
December 24, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people decorate with mistletoe around Christmas, hanging it from the ceiling or over a door. Mistletoe is more than just a holiday decoration, though—it’s also a cue...
Potpourri
December 21, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It's hard for me to believe this, but Sex and Psychology is now seven years old! When I began blogging in 2011, I had no idea where this journey would...
Potpourri
December 17, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine shared an article with me that offered a historical review of the “nude psychotherapy” movement in psychology. Wait—what? As I began to...
Sex Ed
December 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
If you aren’t quite finished with your holiday shopping or (like me) haven’t even started yet, allow me to make your job a little easier this year. If you're in...
Potpourri
December 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In studying the sex fantasies of more than 4,000 Americans for my book Tell Me What You Want, I discovered that there’s one person who’s more likely to appear in...
Gender, Sex Ed
December 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the last decade, scientists have published a series of studies claiming that the color red is a sexual signal and that wearing it makes you more attractive to the...
Sex Ed
December 10, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s that time of year when many of us begin to search frantically for the perfect holiday gift for a significant other. Despite all of the time, effort, and money...
Potpourri
December 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Research suggests that, on average, people tend to have more sex in the summer than they do in the winter; however, December is the exception to the winter sex slump....
Potpourri, Videos
December 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There's a scene in the movie Mean Girls in which high school health teacher Coach Carr gives his students a lesson in sex education. It pretty much consists of him...
Sex Ed
November 30, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The idea that men and women are polar opposites when it comes to sex is a popular one, immortalized in bestselling books like Men are From Mars, Women are From...
Uncategorized
November 28, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve seen a lot of articles lately about sex robots and how they’re supposedly going to revolutionize our sex lives. A lot of these articles make the assumption that there’s...
Sex Ed
November 23, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I surveyed more than 4,000 Americans about their sexual fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want and I found that group sex was one of the most common...
Gender, LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
November 22, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
For all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don't forget to give thanks for sex! Why? Research suggests that sex is good for us in many ways, both physically and...
Potpourri
November 21, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
When I was training to become a social psychologist, I learned that many emotions and facial expressions seem to be universal across cultures. Recently, however, researchers have begun to debate...
Sex Ed
November 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
“Welcome to the wonderful world of ex sex. It’s hot, it’s naughty…oh yeah, and it’s a really stupid idea.” – Cosmopolitan Magazine When a couple decides to end their relationship,...
Dating & Relationships
November 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Condoms are one of the best tools we have available for reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and preventing unintended pregnancies. Unfortunately, however, they don’t provide quite as...
Safe Sex
November 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Many psychologists believe that our personalities consist of five underlying traits: openness to experience (your willingness to try new things), conscientiousness (how detail oriented and organized you are), extraversion (how...
Sex Ed
November 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years ago, I decided to get the HPV vaccine. This vaccine didn’t hit the market until I was well into adulthood, so I didn’t have a chance to...
Safe Sex
November 9, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I’ve been running the Sex and Psychology blog for nearly 7 (!) years at this point. When I started, I didn’t know a whole lot about blogging. I gradually picked...
Psychology
November 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years ago, I came across some research reporting that the way a child is born appears to have consequences for their health. How so? Scientists believe that the...
Sex Ed
November 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Infidelity has long been a topic of interest to scientists who study sex and relationships. Over the years, they’ve uncovered a number of fascinating things about how common cheating is,...
Dating & Relationships
November 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How are men’s and women’s sexual fantasies similar? And how are they different? I surveyed 4,175 Americans about their sex fantasies as part of my book Tell Me What You...
Videos
October 31, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What is it that attracts us to other people? Can you fall in love at first sight? Can computer algorithms successfully predict who will make a good match? Read on...
Dating & Relationships
October 29, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
We tend to think of casual sex as, well, a pretty casual affair, meaning it’s just about the sex and nothing else. This view of casual sex is pervasive, even...
Sex Ed
October 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Each October, the media runs story after story warning parents about the dangers that sex offenders pose to children on Halloween. All of the panic stoked by these claims has...
Sex Ed
October 24, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
As someone who studies the science of sex for a living, I’m often asked what it is that drew me to this field. How and why did I decide to...
Potpourri
October 22, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Nationally representative U.S. survey data reveal that approximately 1 in 7 adults today are living in a sexless marriage, meaning they report engaging in little to no sexual activity [1,...
Dating & Relationships
October 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The state of sex education is poor for American adolescents—but you probably already knew that. However, what you may not have realized is that the state of sex education for...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
October 15, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists have found that sex seems to be good for us in many ways. For example, sexual activity has stress-relieving properties: when couples in a good quality relationship have sex...
Sex Ed
October 10, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I surveyed 4,175 Americans from all 50 states about their sexual fantasies for my book Tell Me What You Want. Participants were asked to describe their favorite sexual fantasy of...
Sex Ed
October 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people are cisgender, meaning that their gender identity corresponds with their birth sex; however, some people are transgender, meaning their gender identity and birth sex are different. Increasingly, scientists...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
October 1, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Parents have the potential to play an important role in their children’s sex education. Indeed, many of you reading this probably received a version of the “birds and bees” talk...
Sex Ed
October 1, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists and psychiatrists use the term paraphilia to refer to unusual sexual interests. In other words, a paraphilia represents a desire for an uncommon sexual object or activity. Hundreds of...
Gender, Kink & BDSM
September 28, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Relationships can take a lot of different forms, from monogamous to “monogamish” to polyamorous. Each approach has its own unique set of advantages and challenges. So how do you figure...
Uncategorized
September 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I’m answering more of YOUR questions about sex today. In the video below, I’ll review ten questions submitted by readers of Sex and Psychology and explore what science can tell...
Sex Q&A, Videos
September 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Today, I’m answering YOUR questions about sex. I’ve put together a brief video in which I review ten questions submitted by readers of Sex and Psychology and explore what science...
Sex Q&A, Videos
September 24, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a big assumption built into the way most people talk about sexual consent, which is that sex is exclusively a two-person activity. While it’s true that sex most often...
Sex Ed
September 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
We’ve long known that there’s a link between sex and headaches. In fact, we can trace this all the way back to Hippocrates, who is thought to be the first...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
September 17, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
About a decade ago, I came across a book entitled The Technology of Orgasm by Rachel Maines. It quickly became one of my favorites on the history of sex because...
Myth vs Fact
September 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Alcohol and marijuana are among the most popular substances people use to enhance their sexual experiences. But when it comes to their effects, how similar or different are these drugs?...
Sex Ed
September 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People have been searching for tools to enhance their sex lives for centuries. Historically, and even today, they have looked to various herbs and foods in the hope of finding...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
September 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce the sixth annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next February prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology....
Sex Ed
September 10, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I have been studying the science of sex for the last ten years. During that time, I’ve learned a lot about what turns people on, from the vanilla to the...
Sex Ed
September 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Why should scientists study love? Because, as social psychologist Dr. Art Aron explains in the video below, it's central to our health and happiness. Dr. Aron talks not only about...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
September 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I made a major career move this summer. After working ten years as a college professor, I decided it was time for something new: I left academia to become a...
Psychology
September 3, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I shared an article on Twitter the other day about the prevalence of infidelity, which prompted a response from my pal Dan Savage about how cheating is associated with the...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
August 31, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Some men’s penises seem to grow more than others when they change from a flaccid to erect state. In colloquial terms, men who experience a larger increase in length are...
Sex Ed
August 29, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Many sex education programs in the United States fail to meet the needs of sexual and gender minority students. This is especially true for programs that have an abstinence-only focus....
Safe Sex
August 27, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you feel after sex? If you’re like most people, you’re probably pretty happy. After all, “it feels good” and “it’s fun” are among the most common reasons men...
Sex Ed
August 22, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual orientation is all too commonly viewed as an either/or proposition, meaning you’re either gay or you’re straight, and nothing in between. This view is widely held, even by many...
LGBTQIA+
August 18, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-five years ago today (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. As many...
Sex Ed
August 17, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual fantasies appear to reflect, at least in part, our personality traits and characteristics. In studying the sex fantasies of more than 4,000 Americans for my book Tell Me...
Sex Ed
August 15, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It can be challenging to get over a breakup. Many people find that they can’t stop thinking about their ex and that this has negative implications for their mental health,...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
August 15, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Why does sex tend to feel good? In order to answer this question, we need to step back and look at what our brains and bodies are doing during sexual...
Videos
August 8, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most reliable findings across studies of human sexual behavior is that heterosexual men report substantially more lifetime sexual partners on average compared to heterosexual women. In theory,...
Gender, Sex Ed, Videos
August 6, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Food and romance are intimately intertwined in modern dating rituals. Indeed, restaurants are one of the most popular places people visit when they go on a date. Neuroscience research suggests...
Dating & Relationships
August 3, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The term "blue balls" is frequently used to describe "a dull, aching sensation that occurs during sexual arousal before or without ejaculation." You may or may not realize this, but...
Videos
August 1, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Are you getting what you want when it comes to sex? Odds are, probably not. Most of us have sexual fantasies that we wish were part of our sexual reality;...
Uncategorized
July 27, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Studies suggests that most married adults have sex somewhere between a few times per month and a few times per week (side note: sexual frequency in relationships is similar for...
Sex Ed, Videos
July 25, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People who are sexually attracted to animals are often referred to as "zoophiles" in the psychological literature. Zoophilia is something that has long been considered a paraphilia, meaning an uncommon...
Kink & BDSM
July 20, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Your sex life is, to some extent, a function of your personality. Sex scientists have accumulated a large body of research revealing linkages between what are known as the "Big...
Sex Ed
July 18, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
According to the results of Gallup's 2018 Moral Issues Survey, Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to become more liberal. For the majority of issues Americans were surveyed about, Gallup...
Sex Ed
July 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
When people think about sex and aging, they have a tendency to focus on all of the things that might interfere with sexual satisfaction as we get older, such as...
Videos
July 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and aging is a topic I've wanted to include more coverage of on the blog for a long time; however, when you run a research-based blog, it's hard to...
Videos
July 11, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What’s the source of your favorite sex fantasy? Did it emerge from a previous sexual experience? Is it from something you saw in porn or in the popular media? Or...
Sex Ed
July 11, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do we have sexual fantasies? For many of you, the first thought that probably comes to mind is to enhance sexual arousal or to experience pleasure. However, that’s just...
Sex Ed
July 9, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
When we hear or read about other people’s sexual fantasies, we have a tendency to focus our attention on the specific act they describe, such as a threesome or bondage,...
Sex Ed
July 6, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
My new book, Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life, will land in bookstores next week (July...
Sex Ed
July 4, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What's your favorite sexual fantasy of all time? I asked 4,175 Americans to tell me their biggest sexual desire as part of a recent survey I conducted and the results...
Videos
July 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Anal activities have become increasingly popular in porn—and in people’s sex lives, too. For example, changes in Pornhub search trends reveal that queries for anal sex have increased by more...
Sex Ed
June 29, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex scientists have found that people’s sexual satisfaction seems to depend on a wide range of factors, from how often they’re having sex to the types of sexual activities they’re...
Sex Ed
June 27, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I've been reading and hearing a lot about spotted hyenas in the media lately. They caught my attention because, well, hyenas don't usually show up in my newsfeed very often...
Media & Culture
June 25, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Many athletes abstain from sex before major sporting competitions because they (and sometimes their coaches) are worried that getting it on might have a negative impact on their performance. For...
Sex Ed
June 22, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I am thrilled to announce that my new book, Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire and How It Can Help You Improve Your Sex Life, will...
Potpourri
June 20, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Research on both humans and animals increasingly suggests that being sexually active just might benefit the brain. Here's an overview of the evidence that has accumulated so far:A 2010 study...
Sex Ed
June 18, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Let’s say you have a sexual fantasy about something—or someone—you’re not “supposed” to do, perhaps because it conflicts with the teachings of your religion. When a thought about this pops...
Sex Ed
June 13, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexuality continues to be a widely misunderstood sexual orientation. Given that this is LGBT Pride Month, I thought it would be useful to put together an article that explores some...
LGBTQIA+
June 11, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s hardly a new revelation that our sense of smell plays an important role in our sexual and romantic lives. I mean, after all, the multi-billion dollar perfume, cologne, and...
Sex Ed
June 8, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic change in support for same-sex marriage in the United States. Consider this: in 2007, the Pew Research Center conducted a national...
LGBTQIA+
June 6, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s not uncommon for guys to experience fertility problems—even guys who are in the prime of their lives. Just consider that some health organizations claim that as many as 1...
Myth vs Fact
June 6, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently finished teaching a study abroad course on Sexuality and Culture in the Netherlands. After the course was over, I did some personal travel around Europe, with stops in...
Potpourri
June 1, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In recognition of June being LGBT Pride Month, I'll be running several LGBT-themed posts on the blog over the next few weeks. To start us off, let's debunk some of...
LGBTQIA+
May 30, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What percentage of the population is gay or bisexual? This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer because depending on the definition of sexual orientation you use—sexual identity, sexual attraction,...
LGBTQIA+
May 23, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists who study sexual arousal have found that when they show participants a pornographic video, many people (especially women) show signs of genital arousal while simultaneously reporting that they do...
Sex Ed, Videos
May 21, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In the real world, forcing someone to have sex is something that is widely regarded as a repugnant act. By contrast, in our sexual fantasies, the prospect of being forced...
Sex Ed
May 18, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
As part of the study abroad course I’m teaching on Sex and Culture in the Netherlands, I booked us a tour of Amsterdam’s Red Light District with the famous Fokken...
Potpourri
May 17, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Today in my study abroad course on sex and culture in the Netherlands, we're focusing on sex work, especially the link between prostitution and mental health. Many studies have been...
Sex Ed
May 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The Netherlands is often seen as a utopia for people who are attracted to the same sex—and this view is perfectly understandable when you look at how homosexuality has historically...
LGBTQIA+
May 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Greetings from Amsterdam! For the second year in a row, I’m teaching a study abroad course on Sexuality and Culture in the Netherlands. Today is the first full day of...
Potpourri
May 4, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientific research papers are often indecipherable to the average reader. This is due, in part, to the fact that scientists use a lot of jargon—they have a special vocabulary that...
Potpourri
May 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The question of whether there are racial differences in penis size is one that has been notoriously difficult to answer with any degree of scientific certainty. The problem has been...
Myth vs Fact
April 30, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual minority individuals—that is, people who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, or who otherwise report same-sex attraction or behavior—are at increased risk for developing a number of physical health...
LGBTQIA+
April 27, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In the popular media, it’s easy to find claims of a rising “epidemic” of erectile dysfunction in young men. For example, this article argues that the rate of ED in...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
April 25, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People email me with questions about their sex lives all the time. More often than not, these questions boil down to the same theme: "Am I normal?"A lot of folks...
Media & Culture
April 23, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Difficulties with sexual desire and arousal are common, especially among women—and they’re notoriously difficult to treat with medications alone. However, the good news is that these problems are responsive to...
Interviews, Sex Tips, Videos
April 20, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People who are into bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism (or BDSM for short) experience a lot of stigma. For one thing, they are often seen as psychologically disturbed,...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
April 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In an episode of the classic television series Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw discovers that a guy she's seeing has dated both men and women. Uncomfortable with the thought...
LGBTQIA+
April 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a common assumption that monogamous relationships are superior to consensually non-monogamous relationships in virtually all ways. In fact, studies have found that monogamous relationships are thought to be better...
Dating & Relationships
April 13, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How many different reasons are there to have sex? At least 237, according to one study. However, that study was primarily based on young college students, which begs the question...
Gender, Sex Ed
April 11, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a lot of research out there looking at how many people have cheated, their reasons for cheating, and what “counts” as cheating; however, surprisingly little work has looked at...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
April 9, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Are Americans today more or less likely to cheat on their spouses than they were in the past? And how have their attitudes toward infidelity changed—have they become more or...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
April 6, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people have sex at least once in their lives. For example, in a longitudinal study of over 20,000 American adolescents who were surveyed repeatedly over a 15-year period, just...
Sex Ed
April 4, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People fantasize about having sex in a wide range of settings, but cars are one of the most popular. As some evidence of this, I surveyed more than four thousand...
Sex Ed
April 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s easy to find articles in the popular media talking about how porn ruins relationships. Many scientific studies have made this claim, too. However, there’s a problematic assumption embedded in...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
March 30, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do people who start a family decide it’s time to stop having children? A new set of studies published in the journal Marriage and Family Review identifies 4 primary...
Sex Ed
March 28, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Few aspects of genital anatomy have sparked as much scientific debate as the so-called G-spot (also known as the Grafenberg spot). Some researchers have argued that it is a distinct...
Sex Ed
March 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
People tend to think about sexual orientation in terms of a small number of distinct categories—most commonly, straight, bisexual, and gay. Those who subscribe to this view expect that everyone...
LGBTQIA+
March 21, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most popular stereotypes of male sexuality is that men want sex all of the time because they're just "wired" that way. In other words, sex is seen...
Sex Tips, Videos
March 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Having children obviously takes a lot of work—and a lot of money. It really is an enormous sacrifice in so many ways. So why do so many of us do...
Sex Ed
March 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
When comparing the number of women who say they’ve been sexually assaulted to the number of men who admit to perpetrating sexual assault, the numbers are highly discrepant. In fact,...
Sex Ed
March 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Incest, usually defined as sex between close blood relatives, is one of the most pervasive sexual taboos across cultures. Many different theories have been advanced to explain this taboo, but...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
March 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Some people are turned on by thought of watching their partner have sex with someone else. This fantasy goes by many names, but it is often referred to as cuckolding...
Sex Ed
March 9, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What keeps passion alive in a long-term relationship? According to a recent study of nearly 40,000 adults (all of whom were heterosexual and currently in romantic relationships), there were five...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
March 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently returned from the Sexuality Pre-Conference, held just prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology in Atlanta, Georgia. I had the chance to...
Sex Ed
March 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that women are more likely to have regrets about their previous experiences with casual sex than men. While men can certainly have regrets about casual sex,...
Gender, Sex Ed
March 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent study published in the Journal of Sex Research identified eight distinct motivations people can have for cheating (read all about those motives here). Beyond simply demonstrating the factors...
Dating & Relationships
February 28, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Studies have found that people overwhelmingly rate monogamous relationships as superior to consensually non-monogamous relationships on virtually every dimension you can think of [1]. For example, monogamy is seen as...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How many single adults in the United States have had a friends with benefits relationship? How many are open to the idea of having a threesome? And what do they...
Sex Ed
February 23, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What “counts” as cheating on a romantic partner? It depends who you ask. Research finds that people define infidelity in very different ways. However, there are some things that people...
Dating & Relationships
February 21, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Pink and blue are colors that are commonly associated with gender in many Western cultures. Specifically, pink is widely considered to be a “girl color,” whereas blue is widely thought...
Gender, Videos
February 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The Trump administration recently released its proposed budget for 2019 and, just like last year, it seeks to ensure that sex education in the United States remains focused on abstinence....
Sex Ed
February 16, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Research consistently finds that between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 married persons in the United States has committed infidelity [1]. Rates of infidelity in dating relationships are even...
Dating & Relationships
February 14, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
With Valentine’s Day upon us, many folks have love on the brain—so let’s talk about the science of love! In the video below, I've compiled five of the most fascinating...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people would probably assume that Valentine’s Day is linked to an increase in pregnancies. I mean, given the nature of this holiday and the emphasis on celebrating sex and...
Sex Ed
February 9, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people have had oral sex? Do men and women have similar feelings about this activity? Does oral sex "count" as sex? In this post, we'll take a look...
Sex Ed
February 7, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There's a common tendency to assume that when someone in a relationship cheats, they're doing it because the relationship is broken; however, this isn't necessarily true. People who are perfectly...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a widespread belief that, if you watch enough porn, your brain will build up a tolerance to it, meaning that you will require more and more extreme stuff in...
Sex Ed
February 2, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The American Sexual Health Association (ASHA) has declared February to be National Condom Month. For my part in helping to increase awareness and education about condoms this February, I created...
Safe Sex, Videos
January 31, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
In popular culture, a sapiosexual or sapiophile is someone who thinks that high intelligence is sexually attractive. It’s not just that these individuals think it would be desirable to have...
Sex Ed
January 29, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
There's been a lot of talk about the issue of sexual consent in response to the #MeToo movement. Much of this talk has focused on getting men to understand that...
Sex Ed
January 26, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked:“What percentage of men and women actually enjoy giving or receiving oral sex?”Good question! Let me start by saying that oral sex has become an incredibly common sexual...
Gender, Sex Q&A
January 24, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What do heterosexual women find attractive about the male body? A new study suggests that signs of muscularity and upper body strength are particularly important, while height and weight seem...
Sex Ed
January 22, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that pornography use is associated with lower levels of sexual satisfaction (see here and here and here for a few examples). On the basis of this...
Sex Ed
January 19, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people are lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB)? For one answer, check out the infographic below, which summarizes recent data from Britain's National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles....
LGBTQIA+
January 17, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people claim to have had experiences with the phenomenon of “love at first sight.” But is it really possible to fall in love with someone instantaneously? Believe...
Dating & Relationships
January 15, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornhub recently released their annual year-in-review of users’ viewing habits and, as usual, the results were fascinating. Among other things, they reported an average of 81 million site visitors per...
Sex Ed
January 12, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Students' experiences with sex education are anything but consistent in the United States. Consider this: less than half of the states even require that it be taught at all! Moreover,...
Safe Sex
January 10, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Two people can have sex fantasies about the same activity, but the way that specific activity plays out isn’t necessarily going to be the same from one person to the...
Sex Ed
January 8, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common stereotypes about straight men’s same-sex friendships is that they’re lacking in emotional depth. Their friendships are seen as revolving around shared activities like watching football...
Dating & Relationships
January 5, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The busiest time of year for online dating is the nearly two-month stretch that runs from the day after Christmas through Valentine’s Day. It reaches its peak on the Sunday...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
January 4, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
The busiest time of year for online dating is the nearly two-month stretch that runs from the day after Christmas through Valentine’s Day. It reaches its peak on the Sunday...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
January 3, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it mean to be in a monogamous relationship? It depends who you ask. In the modern world, it has become increasingly difficult to define “monogamy” in any kind...
Dating & Relationships
January 1, 2018 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time a new year comes around, a lot of us start making resolutions for self-improvement. For example, some people resolve to lose weight or get in shape, others vow...
Potpourri, Sex Ed
December 29, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2017 winds down, let's take a look back at this year's ten most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The following posts represent an incredibly diverse range of content...
Potpourri
December 25, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Many of us decorate with mistletoe around the Christmas holiday. It's often hung from the ceiling or over a door, with kisses offered to those who stand under it. Have...
Potpourri
December 22, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
It's hard for me to believe this, but Sex and Psychology is six years old today! When I began blogging in 2011, I had no idea where this journey would...
Potpourri
December 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Do people engaged in casual, “no strings attached” sexual relationships engage in similar sexual activities compared to people in committed romantic relationships? There is some research to suggest that the...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
December 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people think of orgasms as a positive experience—one they look forward to repeating time and again. However, this isn’t true for people who experience something known as post-orgasmic illness...
Sex Tips
December 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Generally speaking, people tend to have more sex in the summer months than they do in the winter months; however, December is the exception to this winter sex slump. In...
Potpourri, Videos
December 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to relationships, a lot of people are under the impression that there’s just one “right” person out there for them—a so-called “soul mate” or perfect partner. In...
Videos
December 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently blogged about a study that examined women’s experiences with orgasm during vaginal intercourse. The results revealed that question wording is crucial when it comes to understanding how often...
Sex Ed
December 11, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex has the potential to benefit us in numerous ways. Among other things, research suggests that it may be good for our physical health (it is a form of exercise...
Sex Ed
December 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s that time of year when many of us start a frantic search for the perfect holiday gift for a significant other. Despite putting a lot time, effort, and money...
Potpourri
December 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
You might think that it would be easy to define a term like sex—but it’s not. It turns out that different people have very different definitions, and they make all...
Sex Ed
December 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have looked at women’s experiences with orgasm during penile-vaginal intercourse. However, these studies have produced variable results, making it difficult to draw firm conclusions about how often women...
Sex Ed
December 1, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Today is World AIDS Day, a global public health campaign that began 29 years ago in order to increase HIV/AIDS awareness and education. In support of this campaign, I'm sharing...
Safe Sex, Videos
November 29, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are those in which all of the partners involved agree to have sexual and/or romantic relationships with other persons. This can take many forms, from swinging...
Dating & Relationships
November 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
New research finds that the antibiotic doxycycline reduces the odds of contracting some bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) if taken within 72 hours of condomless sex.The findings, presented earlier this...
Safe Sex
November 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex scientists have a lot of tools to choose from when it comes to measuring people’s sexual orientation. However, every tool poses a unique set of challenges.The most straightforward way...
LGBTQIA+
November 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
For all of my readers celebrating Thanksgiving today, don't forget to give thanks for sex! Why? Research has found that sex is good for us in numerous ways, both physically...
Potpourri
November 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I've taught human sexuality courses in colleges and universities for more than a decade. Teaching a course on this subject obviously poses a number of unique challenges, but one of...
Psychology
November 17, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Many sexuality researchers and educators have claimed that kissing is a universal or near universal sexual and romantic behavior. For example, several sexuality textbooks explicitly say that kissing isn't just...
Sex Ed
November 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists have long known that gays and lesbians have an elevated risk of depression and anxiety compared to heterosexual individuals. This health disparity is thought to be due in large...
LGBTQIA+
November 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In the modern world, we have a tendency to blame almost all of our problems on technology--and this is especially true when it comes to sexual problems. For example, I’ve...
Sex Ed
November 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Eharmony and other popular online dating sites promise to help users find compatible romantic partners through the use of specialized matching algorithms. These services were founded on the idea that...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
November 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
This year, Pornhub celebrated its tenth birthday. To commemorate the occasion, they released some fascinating data on trends in users’ viewing habits. Among other things, over 10 million videos have...
Sex Ed
November 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What effect does marijuana have on sexual function? Surprisingly little research has addressed this question, and the few studies that exist have produced conflicting results. For example, while survey research...
Sex Ed
October 30, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In the video below, I've compiled a list of seven interesting facts about vaginas and vulvas--all tastefully displayed against the backdrop of (mostly) fruits and flowers that bear a minor...
Videos
October 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people have had dreams about sex before. However, there’s a lot of variability in the kinds of sex dreams that people have. So where does all of that variation...
Sex Ed
October 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Each October, the media runs story after story warning parents about the dangers that sex offenders pose to children on Halloween. All of the panic stoked by these claims has...
Sex Ed
October 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The number of babies born each day naturally fluctuates throughout the year. However, researchers have found that certain days are linked to consistent increases or decreases in the birth rate....
Sex Ed
October 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health concern in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are estimated to be 110...
Safe Sex
October 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Social scientists have long been interested in the factors that predict divorce. Over the years, they’ve identified a number of things that seem to increase the odds of a couple...
Dating & Relationships
October 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Kegel exercises have been around for a long time. First described by Dr. Arnold Kegel back in the 1940s, they were originally developed as a way to help women experiencing...
Sex Tips
October 16, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
People can develop sexual fetishes for virtually anything. For example, some people are turned on by feeding others or watching them eat, others are turned on by drinking or coming...
Kink & BDSM
October 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Dozens of allegations of sexual harassment and assault against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein have surfaced in the last two weeks (see here for a complete list). These allegations have prompted...
Media & Culture
October 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
While erections are sometimes referred to as “boners,” the truth of the matter is that there aren't actually any bones in the human penis. Some animals do have penile bones,...
Sex Tips
October 11, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
How often do women orgasm during penile-vaginal intercourse? And just how important is clitoral stimulation when it comes to a woman's likelihood of experiencing orgasm during sex? A new paper...
Sex Ed
October 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The penis is a fascinating piece of human anatomy; however, it turns out that most of us don't actually know all that much about it. So, in the video below,...
Videos
October 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Study after study has found that men and women have different age preferences when it comes to choosing both sexual and romantic partners. On average, men seem to prefer partners...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
September 29, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Fetishes are sexual desires that hinge upon specific objects (like boots or panties), non-sexual body parts (like feet or armpits), or bodily fluids (like urine or breast milk). Though many...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
September 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Compared to generations past, millennials are having less sex. And the post-millennials—or iGen, as social psychologist Jean Twenge has dubbed them—are doing it even less. Much has been said and...
Sex Ed
September 25, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Does sexual satisfaction change over the course of a long-term romantic relationship and, is so, how? On the one hand, you might think that satisfaction increases as partners learn how...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
September 22, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Think you know everything there is to know about orgasms? Test your knowledge by watching the video below, which highlights ten of the most fun and interesting scientific facts about...
Videos
September 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What kinds of genital touch do women find to be most pleasurable? A lot of research has explored this question; however, most of it has suffered from major limitations. For...
Sex Ed
September 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Is it a bad idea to get romantically involved with someone you know has committed infidelity in the past? Common sense tells us that "once a cheater, always a cheater."...
Dating & Relationships
September 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A new paper accepted for publication in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggesting that computers have better “gaydar” than humans made quite a media splash this week. Specifically,...
LGBTQIA+, Psychology
September 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Communicating early and often about sex is one of the keys to a successful long-term romantic relationship. Indeed, research has consistently found that the more sexual communication couples engage in,...
Sex Ed
September 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce the fifth annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! It will be held next March, just prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social...
Sex Ed
September 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study published in the Journal of Sex Research reports that when married people start using porn, their odds of getting divorced double. In other words, the results would...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
September 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
This past summer, I taught a study abroad course on sex and culture in the Netherlands. We covered a lot of ground in this class, including an in-depth look at...
Safe Sex
September 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection. In addition to genital warts, it has the potential to cause a wide range of cancers, including cancers of...
Safe Sex
August 30, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
My social media feed has been blowing up lately with links to article headlines like this one from HuffPost, “Women Want More Sex Than Their Partner Does, According To New...
Gender, Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
August 30, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
To date, most national sex surveys in America have focused on people's attitudes toward and experiences with a relatively narrow range of sexual behaviors, namely: vaginal intercourse, oral sex, anal...
Sex Ed
August 28, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the years, I’ve received countless emails from readers saying things along the lines of, “He says I don't want it enough. I think he wants it too much. What...
Sex Tips
August 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I received an email from a reader the other day who read an article chastising a lot of popular magazines and websites for pushing the narrative that we should be...
Sex Q&A
August 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I spend a lot of time talking, writing, and tweeting about the latest scientific research on sex and relationships. Over the years, I've had more than a few people respond...
Psychology
August 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (also known as PrEP for short) is an increasingly popular method of HIV prevention among persons at the highest risk of infection. It involves taking one pill per...
Safe Sex
August 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-four years ago this Sunday (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. As...
Sex Ed
August 16, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The immense popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey has prompted a lot of curiosity about BDSM (bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism). Among other things, people have begun to...
Sex Ed
August 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex stands to benefit us in many ways. For example, research has found that being sexually active appears to be good for our physical health—not only does having sex burn...
Sex Ed
August 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Like most sex researchers, I tend to study people who have sex--and, over the years, we've developed a large scientific literature about them. But what about the people who, for...
Sex Ed
August 11, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What is “normal” or “typical” when it comes to sex isn’t the same from one culture to the next. In fact, there’s incredible variation in sexual attitudes and practices throughout...
Videos
August 9, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Where does our sexual orientation come from? That's a question that we don't yet fully understand. However, a growing body of research suggests that it may be determined, at least...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
August 7, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most popular stereotypes of male sexuality is that guys want sex ALL the time. They're always in the mood because they're constantly thinking about it. After all,...
Sex Ed
August 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of different things that can motivate people to have sex. In fact, one study identified 237 distinct reasons for getting it on! But do our reasons...
Sex Ed
July 31, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
If I asked you to imagine someone faking an orgasm, odds are that you'd probably picture a woman. It has long been assumed that fake orgasms are unique to women,...
Sex Ed
July 31, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
When we engage in sexual activity, it's usually with just one other person. Sometimes, however, people engage in “social” sexual experiences in which multiple people are involved in some way....
Sex Ed
July 26, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists and psychiatrists use the term paraphilia to refer to an unusual sexual interest. More specifically, paraphilias are recurrent desires for uncommon sexual objects or activities. Although hundreds of desires...
Kink & BDSM
July 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Women don’t need to have sex in order to reach orgasm. In fact, they don’t necessarily even need any genital stimulation at all. Here are five ways women can experience...
Sex Ed
July 21, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:"If you've been circumcised, is there any way to get your foreskin back?"Some circumcised men lament the removal of their foreskin, wishing to be "uncircumcised."...
Sex Ed
July 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:“Are circumcised men less likely to have premature ejaculation?”People have long been curious about what effects circumcision (or removal of the penile foreskin) has on...
Sex Tips
July 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
When you study sex for a living, people have a tendency to think that you really love sex—and that you must be having it all the time, too! In other...
Sex Ed
July 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Paraphilia is the term psychologists and psychiatrists use to refer to any unusual sexual interest. It’s important to note that an unusual interest is not necessarily harmful and it's not...
Kink & BDSM
July 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Google Trends has quickly become one of the favorite research tools of sex scientists. Why? In part, because not everyone is willing to participate in sex studies and, among those...
Sex Ed
July 12, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexual people, both male and female, tend to be stereotyped negatively. For example, they are often seen as sexually confused, secretly gay, highly promiscuous, and incapable of monogamy. These negative...
LGBTQIA+
July 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In the animal kingdom, there are some species that only mate seasonally. They do it just a few times per year, coinciding with their fertile periods. Humans, by contrast, are...
Sex Ed
July 7, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Paraphilia is a very general term used by psychologists to refer to any kind of unusual sexual interest. The number of desires that have been deemed paraphilic has grown substantially...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
July 5, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past decade, there has been a dramatic change in support for same-sex marriage in the United States. Consider this: in 2007, the Pew Research Center conducted a national...
LGBTQIA+
July 3, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that there’s a lot of variability when it comes to what people define as “sex.” Perhaps not surprisingly, this means there’s a lot of variability when it...
LGBTQIA+
July 3, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Porn has been criticized for a lot of reasons, but one of the most common complaints lodged against it is that it isn’t realistic, especially in the way it depicts...
Sex Ed
June 28, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Even though the marriage rate in the United States recently hit an all-time low, most Americans still view the institution positively and consider it to be the ideal relationship state....
Dating & Relationships, Videos
June 26, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex scientists have become increasingly interested in the topic of asexuality in the last few years. For example, they’ve published studies on everything from the genital arousal patterns of asexual...
LGBTQIA+
June 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
For the last two days, articles about “anal Botox” have been blowing up my Facebook and Twitter feeds, with most of the headlines (like this one from Cosmo) saying something...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
June 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Why do men have nipples? Do they have some purpose I don't know about?"Thanks for this great question! I've been asked about this many times...
Sex Q&A, Videos
June 21, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In the final budget proposal submitted by the Obama administration last year, funding for abstinence-only sex education was put on the chopping block. They proposed eliminating abstinence-only programs entirely and,...
Safe Sex
June 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
During my teaching stint at Harvard a couple of years back, a few colleagues from out of state came to visit me on a lovely spring afternoon. I gave them...
Dating & Relationships
June 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Both before and after the recent election of French president Emmanuel Macron, his wife, Brigitte, found herself to be the target of constant attacks on social media. Why? Because she...
Dating & Relationships
June 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Since becoming an adult, how many Americans have ever had a sexual experience with someone of the same sex? And how has this number changed over time? According to a...
LGBTQIA+
June 12, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists who study sexual desire have long been wary of over-relying on self-report data because people don’t always tell the truth on surveys. Some people answer questions about what turns...
Sex Ed
June 9, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What percentage of the United States population identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT)? A large, nationally representative survey conducted by Gallup in 2017 put the overall number at...
LGBTQIA+
June 9, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT)? A large, nationally representative survey conducted by Gallup last year put the overall number at...
LGBTQIA+
June 7, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Teen sexting is an issue that parents and politicians alike are increasingly worried about. The message they’ve been sending to teens has been pretty uniform: don’t do it. Of course,...
Videos
June 5, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
According to the results of Gallup's 2017 Moral Issues Survey, Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to become more liberal. In fact, for a majority of the issues Americans were...
Sex Ed
June 2, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In recognition of June being LGBT Pride Month, I'll be running several LGBT-themed posts on the blog in the coming weeks. Let's kick things off today by debunking some of...
LGBTQIA+
May 29, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Condoms are one of the best tools we have for reducing the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and preventing unintended pregnancies. Unfortunately, however, they don’t always provide as much...
Safe Sex
May 26, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As you might imagine, in my work as a sex educator, questions about penises--and especially about penis size--come up all the time. As such, I thought it might be helpful...
Sex Ed
May 26, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
How is sex determined? In humans, it’s a matter of genetics, and it begins the moment a sperm cell fertilizes an egg, thereby producing a certain combination of sex chromosomes....
Videos
May 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I've been researching sex laws in the Netherlands as part of the study abroad course on sex and culture that I'm teaching. One of the ways sex laws in the...
Potpourri
May 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As part of the study abroad course I’m currently teaching on Sex and Culture in the Netherlands, I’ve done some research into what sex laws look like over here. As...
Potpourri
May 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The next unit in my Amsterdam study abroad course focuses on sexual health and sex education. As a starting point, I shared some statistics with my students highlighting just how...
Safe Sex
May 17, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What would it be like if prostitution were legal? If you're from the United States or any other part of the world where sex work is (largely) prohibited by law,...
Potpourri
May 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Hello from Amsterdam! Today is the first day of a class I’m teaching on Sexuality and Culture in the Netherlands. I’m confident I could not have picked a better place...
Potpourri
May 12, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Throughout the animal kingdom, genitals are very complex—way more complex than they are in humans. Take the male argonaut octopus, for example, which has a detachable penis that can swim...
Videos
May 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator, one of the topics I get asked about most often is anal sex. Given how curious people seem to be about this activity, I thought it...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
May 9, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
May is Masturbation Month. We can trace the origin of this special month back to 1995, when US Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders said that masturbation is a part of human...
Videos
May 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Alcohol has the power to change not only the way we see ourselves, but also the way we see other people. Indeed, research has found that when we drink, we...
LGBTQIA+
May 5, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following question:“Is it true that peeing right after sex can stop you from getting a UTI?” Thanks for this great question. Let’s take a look at...
Sex Q&A
May 3, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator, I’ve been asked many times whether it’s safe to have sex during pregnancy. I’ve answered this question before on the blog and, although the research is...
Videos
April 28, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In a long-term relationship, what does it mean when one or both partners masturbate on their own? A lot of people would be tempted to conclude that it's a sign...
Sex Ed
April 28, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
When our interest in sex starts to wane, exposure to a new or novel partner has a way of bringing it back. This phenomenon--formally dubbed the Coolidge Effect--got its name...
Sex Ed
April 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In a consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationship, the partners involved agree that having more than one sexual and/or romantic partner at the same time is permissible. Although interest in CNM relationships...
Dating & Relationships
April 21, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Attempting to steal someone else’s spouse or lover--a phenomenon known scientifically as mate poaching--is a common theme in both TV shows and movies. It happens a lot in real life,...
Dating & Relationships
April 19, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Americans are increasingly going online in order to find romantic and sexual partners. However, despite the popularity of online dating, most Americans have never tried it. That’s partially because there’s...
Dating & Relationships
April 17, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Vibrators are one of the most popular sex toys in the world. They are ubiquitous in sex shops, not to mention on the internet—and you can get them in virtually...
Sex Ed
April 14, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
American sex education courses are seriously lacking when it comes to the subject of women's sexual anatomy and pleasure. Not only are terms like "vulva" and "clitoris" rarely uttered, but...
Videos
April 12, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently blogged about the results of a new study reporting that Americans today are having less sex than they were a quarter century ago. Specifically, this research suggests that...
Sex Ed
April 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior offers a fascinating analysis of the way American adults' sex lives changed between the years 1989 and 2014. Specifically, it...
Sex Ed
April 7, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Although the breasts and nipples have long been considered to be among the human body's biggest erogenous zones, surprisingly little research attention has been given to the role that these...
Sex Ed
April 5, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people assume that men only watch porn that is consistent with their sexual identity—in other words, that straight guys only watch straight porn, while gay guys only...
LGBTQIA+
April 3, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
We’ve all seen headlines before that say things like “More Sex Means More Money.” These headlines try to present the results of scientific studies in very simple and straightforward terms:...
Media & Culture
March 31, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
For today's post, I have put together an updated list of the ten most read Q&As of all time on the blog. As you'll see, these questions (all submitted by...
Sex Q&A
March 29, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Afterglow refers to “the look of contentment on a person’s face after great sex,” at least according to the Urban Dictionary. In other words, the basic idea here is that...
Sex Ed
March 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States today, most male infants are circumcised. Many in the medical community strongly support this practice, pointing to research finding a link between circumcision and better health...
Sex Ed
March 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
People can develop fetishes for virtually anything. Most commonly, though, we're talking about a specific body part (like feet or toes) or an object associated with the body (like boots,...
Kink & BDSM
March 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Both men and women report a wide range of reasons for having sex. In fact, one previous study identified as many as 237 distinct sexual motivations! But how do our...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
March 16, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
What actually counts as “having sex?” Well, it depends who you ask. Different people have different definitions. A recent study published in the Journal of Sex Research highlights just how...
Sex Ed
March 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The question of whether men and women differ when it comes to intelligence has long been a subject of scientific debate. For instance, some researchers have argued that men have...
Gender, Videos
March 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that when laws permitting same-sex marriage are passed, the health outcomes of sexual minorities in the local area seem to improve. This holds true for indicators...
LGBTQIA+
March 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
People who cheat usually try to keep it a secret; however, they aren't always successful.So, let's imagine for a moment that you find out someone you know has committed infidelity....
Dating & Relationships
March 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
My university, like many schools around the country, is on spring break this week. A lot of students are using this opportunity to not just take a breather from their...
Sex Ed
March 1, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of parents avoid talking to their kids about sex because they are afraid the experience will be awkward, embarrassing, or uncomfortable. However, parents aren't doing their kids any...
Safe Sex, Videos
March 1, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships, the partners involved agree that having more than one sexual and/or romantic relationship at the same time is acceptable. There are a great many myths...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
February 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Much has been said and written about the "orgasm gap," or the idea that men tend to have far more consistent experiences with orgasm than women. However, the vast majority...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
February 24, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"I'm in a long-distance relationship and it's tough. Are there any tips or tricks to help keep a relationship alive when you can't physically be...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Q&A
February 22, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In just two decades, online dating has become a multi-billion dollar industry--and it hasn't come anywhere close to reaching its full potential yet. Believe it or not, despite how much...
Dating & Relationships
February 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
As Co-Chair of this year’s meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, it is my great pleasure to invite you to join us in the Caribbean this...
Sex Ed
February 17, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Last week, I was talking in class about differences in how men and women use Tinder and other online dating apps. In the midst of this class discussion, a student...
Sex Ed
February 15, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that men and women have different age preferences when it comes to selecting romantic and sexual partners. Generally speaking, it appears that men tend to prefer...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
February 10, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Logically, you might assume that there would be an increase in children being conceived on Valentine’s Day. Given the nature of this holiday and the emphasis on celebrating sex and...
Myth vs Fact
February 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex education is wildly inconsistent throughout the United States. For one thing, only about half of the states even require it, while the other half do not. However, even in...
Safe Sex
February 8, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, a lot of folks have love on the brain—so, let’s talk today about the science of love. Here are four of the most...
Dating & Relationships
February 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
February has been declared National Condom Month by the American Sexual Health Association (ASHA). For my part in helping to increase awareness and education about condoms this February, I’ve complied...
Safe Sex
February 1, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Most popular media reports touting the results of the latest sex study suffer from one of the following problems: they're either inaccurate, biased, or highly sensationalized. Unfortunately, too few readers...
Media & Culture
January 30, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Earlier this month, the fourth annual Sexuality Pre-Conference was held just prior to the meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP). Together with a few of my...
Sex Ed
January 27, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
For the last two weeks, I’ve been inundated with both reader questions and requests for media interviews on a topic I’ve rarely been asked about before: urophilia, which refers to...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
January 25, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
One sexually transmitted infection (STI) that has public health officials increasingly worried is gonorrhea. Although infection rates have declined dramatically from their peak in the 1970s, research has found that...
Safe Sex
January 23, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a massive public health issue in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 110 million infections in...
Safe Sex
January 20, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Is it OK to have sex if you're pregnant? Especially during the later months?"You're not alone in wondering about this. In fact, survey studies have...
Sex Q&A
January 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
The number of men seeking to enhance the size of their penises is on the rise, with guys lining up to buy everything from pills to pumps to stretching devices...
Sex Ed
January 18, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornhub recently released their annual year-in-review of users’ viewing habits and, as usual, the results were fascinating. Among other things, they reported that nearly 92 billion videos were viewed on...
Gender, Potpourri
January 16, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Abortion is one of the most controversial and hotly debated political topics in the United States today--and that debate is about to hit a fever pitch, given the double whammy...
Safe Sex, Videos
January 13, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
In what ways have the sexual attitudes and behaviors of American adults changed in the last thirty or so years? For a look at the answer, check out the infographic...
Sex Ed
January 11, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s a simple biological fact that, as we age, the odds of developing one or more sexual problems increases. But what exactly does this mean for the sexual satisfaction of...
Sex Ed
January 9, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Popular media articles on adolescent sexuality usually paint a portrait of the modern American teenager as hypersexual. Among other things, these articles give the impression that teens are having sex...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
January 6, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people in relationships find that their partner has one or two (or maybe twenty) quirks or habits that annoy them. In these situations, it's tempting to think...
Videos
January 4, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
A growing body of research suggests that frequent sexual activity has brain benefits. For instance, a 2010 study on male rats discovered a link between sexual activity and neuron growth...
Sex Ed
January 2, 2017 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time a new year rolls around, people start making resolutions for self-improvement--you know, like losing weight, getting your spending under control, or finally giving up smoking. As you ponder...
Sex Ed
December 30, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2016 comes to a close, let's take a look back at this year's ten most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The following posts represent an incredibly diverse range...
Potpourri
December 28, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sometimes, science makes us laugh before it makes us think--and this is precisely why the Ig Nobel awards were founded back in 1991. The goal of these awards is to...
Potpourri
December 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people decorate with mistletoe around the Christmas holiday. Many hang it from the ceiling or over a door and offer kisses to those who stand under it....
Potpourri
December 23, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Generally speaking, people have more sex in the summer than they do in the winter [1]—however, it turns out that December is the exception to the winter sex slump. Evidence...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
December 19, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I wonder, does the penis get any smaller with age? In other words, does the penis shrink as men get older?”Thanks for this great question!...
Sex Q&A
December 16, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The amount of sexual experience you have (or don’t have) could potentially affect how willing other people are to date or have sex with you, according to a new study...
Gender, Sex Ed
December 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and Psychology is officially five years old! When I first started this blog in 2011, I had no idea what kind of response it would receive, but I couldn't...
Potpourri
December 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A few months ago, I blogged about a new study showing that Americans’ interest in consensual non-monogamy (CNM) is on the rise. In this study, social psychologist Amy Moors analyzed...
Sex Ed
December 12, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
We've arrived at that point in the year when a lot of folks start searching frantically for the perfect holiday gift for a significant other. All too often, many of...
Potpourri
December 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Researchers and public polling firms alike have extensively surveyed Americans about their attitudes toward gays and lesbians in recent years. The results of their work have shown that attitudes toward...
LGBTQIA+
December 5, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States, the FDA currently recommends the HPV vaccine for anyone aged 9-26, regardless of their sex. This vaccine is designed to prevent several different types of cancer—including...
Safe Sex
December 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex research is a tough business to be in. This field has more than its fair share of critics, some of whom have gone to great lengths to intimidate sex...
Videos
December 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Before Viagra and penile implants, impotent men didn't have a lot of great options for treating their erectile difficulties. In fact, almost all of the early "treatments" for ED were...
Sex Tips, Videos
November 30, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A study from the 1980s found that heterosexual men who viewed images of Playboy and Penthouse centerfolds reported less love for their romantic partners than men who saw images of...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
November 28, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A few weeks ago, I attended the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). I’ve been going to this conference for a few years in...
Sex Ed
November 24, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving today, one of the many things you might consider giving thanks for is sex. Why? Here are six good reasons, all supported by science.1....
Sex Ed
November 24, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that men and women have different age preferences when it comes to selecting romantic and sexual partners, with men preferring partners who are somewhat younger and...
Dating & Relationships, Gender, LGBTQIA+
November 23, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
As someone who's in the business of sex education, I get asked sex questions all of the time. These questions cover every topic you can possibly imagine, with one of...
Sex Ed
November 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Financial domination (or findom, as it's known for short) is an uncommon sexual interest in which people--usually men--find it arousing to be "forced" to give their money to a dominant...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
November 16, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If you're anything like me, you've probably noticed that a lot of romantic couples look alike. Have you ever wondered why that is? Scientists have found that there may be...
Dating & Relationships
November 9, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Most Americans who are in relationships have a spoken or unspoken agreement to be monogamous. In other words, they've agreed not to have sex with anyone but each other. Let's...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
November 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists have been hard at work for decades trying to develop a safe, highly effective, and reversible contraceptive for men—something akin to the birth control pill that has been available...
Safe Sex
November 4, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Would your ideal relationship be completely monogamous, completely open, or somewhere in between? One thousand Americans adults were recently asked this question as part of a national YouGov survey and...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
October 28, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do humans and so many other species reproduce by having sex? If you think about it, a case could be made that asexual reproduction is faster and more efficient...
Videos
October 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How do men feel about the use of condoms in pornography? A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior offers some insight. Gay, straight, and bisexual men were...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
October 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
It has become an October tradition for the media to run story after story warning parents that sex offenders are at an increased risk of committing sex crimes against children...
Sex Ed
October 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people seem to believe that homosexuality is contagious--that it can spread from one person to the next through simple social contact. For example, Pat Robertson of the...
LGBTQIA+
October 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
There are dramatic cross-cultural differences in the legal status of prostitution. These range from complete criminalization to legalized, government-regulated sex work. So which model is best? Well, that depends upon...
Videos
October 19, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it mean to be "abstinent?" It depends who you ask. Sex researchers have found that there is incredible diversity among college students in terms of how they personally...
Sex Ed
October 17, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The results of Gallup's 2016 Moral Issues Survey reveal that Americans’ views on sexual morality have shifted in several important ways in the last fifteen years. Most notable are changes...
Sex Ed
October 12, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A heterosexual man’s interest in using condoms depends upon a lot of things, including his overall attitudes toward condoms, his perceived ability to use them effectively, and whether or not...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
October 12, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Did you know that Lysol and Coca-Cola used to be used as contraceptives? Or that female strippers who are taking birth control pills receive dramatically different tips than strippers who...
Safe Sex
October 10, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When Alfred Kinsey published his pioneering research on Americans' sexual behaviors back in the 1950s, he found that a sizable number of men and women were having premarital sex and,...
Sex Ed
October 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Women have been using tampons to capture menstrual flow for thousands of years. In the past, tampons consisted of everything from wool to paper to plants. The modern tampon--which is...
Videos
October 5, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people think about sexual orientation in terms of just three distinct categories: straight, bisexual, and gay. Those who subscribe to this view usually don’t allow for anything in between—they...
LGBTQIA+
October 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Women’s behavior changes in several ways when they reach the most fertile part of their menstrual cycle--that is, when they ovulate. Among other things, research has found that ovulating women...
Safe Sex
September 30, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
It's a common experience in the world of online dating for people to develop the impression that good-looking people are disproportionately likely to be, well, jerks. Great face, nice body,...
Videos
September 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
On average, women in the United States hit menopause at age 51. At this point, they enter what some scientists call a “post-reproductive lifespan” (or PRLS for short), during which...
Sex Ed
September 23, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In what ways have people's sex lives changed in the last twenty years? Results from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) offers some insight, at least...
Sex Ed
September 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
On one episode of the popular television series Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw discovers that the guy she's currently seeing had dated both men and women in the past....
LGBTQIA+
September 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people claim to be “experts” on sex and relationships. However, as you probably know, being an “expert” isn’t an official title—anyone can claim expertise if they want...
Media & Culture
September 19, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Research suggests that most married folks have sex somewhere between a few times per month and a few times per week. Very few do it every single day. But let's...
Sex Ed, Videos
September 16, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The intuitive ability to determine whether or not someone is gay is known colloquially as “gaydar.” When people use their gaydar, they attempt to make inferences about someone else’s sexual...
LGBTQIA+
September 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Alcohol and marijuana are among the most popular drugs people use for sexual enhancement. But when it comes to their effects, how similar or different are they? A new study...
Sex Ed
September 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you keep a romantic relationship healthy and strong over the long haul? Research suggests that the way we respond to our partners' emotional states may be particularly important....
Dating & Relationships, Videos
September 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In a forthcoming issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior, a special section will be devoted to articles that address “the puzzle of sexual orientation.” I’ve been able to read...
LGBTQIA+
September 5, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The war on porn has reached a fever pitch. Political elites, religious authorities, and a number of other public figures are coming out in ever larger numbers to warn us...
Sex Ed
September 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists use the term paraphilia to refer a wide range of unusual sexual interests, including—but not limited to—exhibitionism, voyeurism, sadism, masochism, and fetishism. Because sexual desires and behaviors that fall...
Kink & BDSM
August 29, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Earlier this year, a study published in the Journal of Sex Research reported that gay men, on average, tend to be shorter than their heterosexual counterparts (click here to read...
LGBTQIA+
August 24, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Throughout much of recorded history, female virginity is something that has been highly coveted by heterosexual men who were looking to marry. Women who were known to have lost their...
Sex Ed
August 19, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-three years ago this week (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on some of the major findings from Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. In...
Sex Ed
August 17, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How many American adults are sending and receiving sext messages? And what's happening with of those sexts we're exchanging anyway? Are people keeping them private, or are they sharing them...
Sex Ed
August 17, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
There are undoubtably some important differences between the male and female orgasm. Among other things, men tend to reach orgasm more often, women are more likely to have multiple orgasms,...
Gender, Videos
August 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Given how high the rate of infidelity is, some people have argued that humans are, by nature, not very well suited to monogamy. Others have gone even further and argued...
Dating & Relationships
August 12, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce that, for the fourth year in a row, there will be a Sexuality Pre-Conference prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and...
Psychology
August 12, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“How long is sex supposed to last?”If you ask around, you’ll undoubtedly come across a lot of different answers to this question. For instance, let’s...
Sex Q&A
August 10, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time a major international sporting competition takes places, news articles inevitably emerge about the athletes who proclaim that they will be abstaining from sex until the competition is over....
Sex Ed
August 8, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of us—men and women alike—have been turned on by the thought of a threesome before. Indeed, study after study has found that this is one of the most common...
Gender, Sex Ed
August 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If you’re anything like me, your newsfeed has probably been dominanted with articles about the popular gaming app Pokémon GO for the past few weeks. Most of the stories to...
Potpourri
August 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people think of cheating as a risky behavior--risky in the sense that, if discovered, it could potentially lead to hurt feelings, severe conflict, and maybe even breakup. However, infidelity...
Sex Ed
August 1, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Virtually every day, I receive emails from people around the world who have questions about their sex lives. More often than not, these questions can be reduced to the same...
Sex Ed
July 29, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Being a successful sex researcher is--and always has been--a tough business. Sex research has a lot of vocal critics who aren't comfortable with the work we're doing, some of whom...
Psychology, Videos
July 27, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If you follow the news closely, you've probably noticed that, month after month, reports emerge about politically or religiously conservative men who find themselves embroiled in scandals in which they...
LGBTQIA+
July 27, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
At last week’s Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, reports are that a lot of sex was going on behind the scenes—a lot of gay sex to be precise. For...
LGBTQIA+
July 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of reality dating shows share the same premise: one contestant goes on a series of brief dates--each with an attractive stranger--and then decides who he or she would...
Dating & Relationships
July 22, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do we cheat? Undoubtedly, there are many possible reasons. For example, sometimes people commit infidelity because they are in unhappy or dysfunctional relationships. Other times, it's because people are...
Videos
July 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently had the pleasure of reading Dr. Alice Dreger’s latest book, Galileo’s Middle Finger. This book had actually been on my reading list for over a year, but it...
Books & Films
July 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If you were asked to imagine someone faking an orgasm, chances are that you'd picture a woman. Why? Because fake orgasms are widely assumed to be unique to women, even...
Sex Ed
July 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A male reader submitted the following question:“Are wet dreams a sign that you aren’t ejaculating very much when you’re awake?”Thanks for this very interesting question! So-called “wet dreams”—known among sex...
Sex Q&A
July 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Imagine you're in the midst of flirting with someone. How can you tell whether that person is looking for sex or something more? Research suggests that their eyes just might...
Sex Ed
July 11, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of people think there’s something wrong with them because they don’t have the constant desire for sex that people on TV and in the movies seem to have....
Videos
July 8, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Is it true that gay men have bigger penises than straight men?”While some research suggests that there might indeed be some truth to this idea,...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
July 6, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States and many other parts of the world, kissing is one of the most common sexual and romantic behaviors that exists; however, kissing is far from being...
Sex Ed
July 4, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a massive body of scientific research on cheating and infidelity focused on how common it is, who does it, and why it occurs. A recent review paper on...
Dating & Relationships
July 1, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people are curious about the factors that lead some folks to sell sex for a living. Are they doing it because they actually like this kind of work, or...
Sex Ed
June 29, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to romantic relationships, monogamy is the rule for most people. However, many folks agree to some form of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) in which they permit each other...
Dating & Relationships
June 27, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of books and websites featuring pick-up tips for straight men extoll the virtues of having a so-called "wingman." According to the Urban Dictionary, a wingman is "a guy...
Videos
June 24, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to pubic hair removal practices and preferences, how similar are men and women? A recent study of college students published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine offers...
Sex Ed
June 22, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
There’s a war on porn taking place right now. A growing chorus has emerged claiming that porn is addictive, that it’s causing misogyny and sexual violence, that it’s leading people...
Sex Ed
June 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do humans have sex? This is a question few scientists have bothered to ask, probably because the answer seems obvious: pleasure and reproduction, of course. However, research suggests that...
Gender, Sex Ed
June 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, forensic psychologist Luke Broomhall explores the importance of thinking differently about how to prevent child sexual abuse. In the United States and many other countries around...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
June 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
You may be surprised to learn that Botox—a drug most famous for it’s ability to reduce facial wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing specific muscles—has a number of potential sexual applications. For...
Sex Ed
June 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many guys have body image issues and, more often than not, those issues center around penis size--even among men who are perfectly normal in size to begin with. As a...
Myth vs Fact
June 10, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Despite all of the social progress made by sexual minorities in recent years, numerous stereotypes and misconceptions about sexual orientation persist. Below, I correct ten of the most common false...
LGBTQIA+
June 8, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The targets of anti-gay prejudice and discrimination tend to experience worse health outcomes. Not only does the stress of victimization put wear and tear on the body, but victims of...
LGBTQIA+
June 6, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Each year that he has been in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month (see...
LGBTQIA+
June 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sexual behavior patterns change with the seasons--and with the shift from spring to summer just around the corner, research suggests that a change in sexual behavior is likely to...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
June 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Do our sexual activity patterns change with the seasons? A new study published in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections suggests that they do, and that there’s a reliable peak during...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
June 1, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex surrogates are people who help clients deal with sexual difficulties by engaging in direct sexual activity with them. In addition, surrogates often help persons with physical disabilities more generally—many...
Sex Tips, Videos
May 30, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships feature an explicit agreement that allows partners to have multiple sexual and/or romantic relationships at the same time. This can take numerous forms, from swinging to...
Dating & Relationships
May 27, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question: “I have had one sexual partner and contracted herpes from him. Though I haven't had sex in 5-7 years and no recurrence of symptoms,...
Safe Sex, Sex Q&A
May 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In order to develop a close, intimate relationship with someone else, you need to be willing to open up to that person—to let your defenses down and become emotionally vulnerable....
Dating & Relationships, Videos
May 23, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Before a scientific study is carried out, researchers usually need to receive approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), a body of fellow scientists who evaluate a given study’s potential...
Psychology, Sex Ed
May 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States today, 37 states mandate that information on abstinence be provided in sex education courses. As you might imagine, it’s not uncommon for students to be asked...
Safe Sex
May 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the U.S. today, 37 states mandate that information on abstinence be provided in sex education courses. In those states, it is not uncommon for students to be asked to...
Safe Sex
May 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to teaching American adolescents about sexuality, “we are completely silent around girls' sexual entitlement and girls' pleasure,” says Peggy Orenstein, author of the new book Girls &...
Media & Culture
May 16, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If you had to guess what the average penis length is, what would you say? A medical organization in the United Kingdom, DrEd, recently asked this question of 2,121 people...
Sex Ed
May 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
For your reading pleasure this weekend, I've compiled a list of ten fun and interesting sex facts that you can share with your friends. Enjoy!1. Nocturnal orgasms aren’t just a...
Potpourri
May 11, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When science is reported in the media, it is often horribly distorted. One of the biggest reasons for this stems from the fact that many of the journalists and bloggers...
Media & Culture
April 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
History is full of examples of governmental and religious authorities going to great lengths to regulate people’s sex lives. Of course, these efforts continue in the modern world--however, sex today...
Books & Films, Potpourri
April 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many sex researchers have surveyed heterosexual women about their preferences when it comes to penis size. Curiously, though, most of the studies out there have only focused on one dimension...
Sex Ed
April 24, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How do guys feel about their own bodies? And does a man's body image have any implications for his sex life? A new study published in the journal Psychology of...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
April 23, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Throughout the animal kingdom, scientists have found that early caregiving experiences shape later patterns of sexual attraction.For example, if you ever took an Introductory Psychology course, you probably learned about...
Dating & Relationships
April 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The conventional wisdom when it comes to marketing is that sex sells. This is why it’s not uncommon to see television commercials and magazine ads that focus more attention on...
Videos
April 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I have read several blogs and magazines saying that having sex during menstruation can help to alleviate cramps. Is there any truth to this? Is...
Sex Q&A
April 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"How many people over age 50 are still having sex?"Older adults are often assumed to be celibate, but the truth of the matter is that...
Sex Q&A
April 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual contact between members of the same sex has been documented in numerous animal species. Several scientific explanations for this phenomenon have been proposed over the years, many of which...
LGBTQIA+
April 11, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Having a secret relationship is hot, right? That's what the popular media would have us believe. Couples that sneak around together are usually depicted in the movies and on TV...
Dating & Relationships
April 11, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How should we teach people about sexual consent? This is a question that has been getting a lot of attention lately from scientists, politicians, and sex educators alike. Increasingly, one...
Videos
April 11, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Social psychologists have found that people have a tendency to view their romantic partners in overly idealized ways. For example, we may view our partners as being more intelligent, compassionate,...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
April 10, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Although prostitution is illegal throughout most of the United States, it’s not uncommon for Americans to buy sex. Most of the purchasers are men, but beyond this, we don’t actually...
Sex Ed
April 8, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people are curious about the lives of porn stars. For example, how do they feel about themselves and the work that they do? How much money do they make?...
Sex Ed
April 6, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s not uncommon for guys to experience fertility problems—even guys who are in the prime of their lives. In fact, some health organizations have claimed that as many as 1...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
April 4, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the popular media, casual sex is often portrayed in a negative light, with writers focusing largely on the physical and psychological risks of having it. But is this activity...
Videos
April 1, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“My partner and I have watched porn together in the past and have recently gotten a hentai video game together. After playing it, we had...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Q&A
March 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Men appear to make judgments about women’s sexual intent based upon their physical appearance. For example, research has found that heterosexual men think women are more interested in and willing...
Sex Ed
March 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Survey studies have reliably found that a majority of men and women say they have removed some or all of their pubic hair before. The reasons people report for doing...
Videos
March 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Botox is well known for its ability to reduce the appearance of facial wrinkles; however, it has a surprising number of medical applications beyond this. In fact, physicians have used...
Sex Tips
March 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few years, LGBT rights have advanced greatly in America; however, most of the benefits have gone to the Ls, Gs, and Bs. Far fewer have gone to...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
March 1, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Most people have sex dreams. In fact, studies have found that as many as 93% of men and 86% of women say they’ve had them before [1]. For some, these...
Sex Ed
February 29, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
According to a new report from the CDC, the number of teenagers giving birth is at its lowest point in the last 15 years. In fact, between 1991 and 2014,...
Safe Sex
February 29, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“What is more probable in a random heterosexual encounter without protection: getting an STD or getting pregnant? I assume the answer will change with age...
Safe Sex, Sex Q&A
February 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The teenage birth rate in the United States has hit a record low, according to a new report from the CDC. Check out the infographic below for a look at...
Safe Sex
February 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When a couple decides to end their relationship, the result isn’t always a clean break. There’s often some degree of contact that persists and, sometimes, that includes sex. But what...
Dating & Relationships
February 26, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When men mistake women’s politeness or friendliness for flirting, this is known as sexual misperception. And it’s incredibly common. However, it’s relatively rare for this to go in the opposite...
Gender, Videos
February 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When I was a graduate student studying the psychology of romantic relationships, I remember learning about “the cohabitation effect” in a few of my courses. Relationship scientists coined this term...
Dating & Relationships
February 25, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
When I was in graduate school studying the psychology of romantic relationships, I learned about something called “the cohabitation effect.” This was the term scientists were using to describe the...
Dating & Relationships
February 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists and physicians have documented a number of fascinating sexual curiosities over the years, such as people who experience orgasms originating in their feet and men who are allergic to...
Kink & BDSM
February 21, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In President Obama’s proposed budget for 2017, he has eliminated all funding for abstinence-only sex education in the nation’s public schools. Whether this will ultimately come to pass is far...
Sex Ed
February 18, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In recent years, scientists have found that sexual orientation is related to a wide range of physical features. Among other things, studies have reported that sexual orientation is linked to...
LGBTQIA+
February 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
The U.S. marriage rate is in decline. In fact, it keeps hitting record lows. Some view this as a very discouraging sign about the state of Americans’ relationships. However, whereas...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Is premature ejaculation something that only happens to men? Can a woman climax too quickly too?"Thanks for this very interesting question. Male premature orgasm, which...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
February 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Penile appearance varies widely throughout the animal kingdom. For instance, some penises have multiple heads (spiny anteaters), others are shaped like a corkscrew (lake ducks), and yet others are several...
Videos
February 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Valentine's Day is almost upon us and many are still hunting for the perfect gift for their significant other. Unfortunately, a lot of folks will end up buying an expensive...
Dating & Relationships
February 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
For your viewing (and learning) pleasure this Valentine's Day weekend, here's a playlist of five of my favorite videos on the science of love. These videos span quite the range...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
February 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Women’s behavior changes in several ways when they’re ovulating. Among other things, research has found that ovulating women fantasize about sex more often, they're more likely to wear red or...
Dating & Relationships
January 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sigmund Freud once argued that human beings are "polymorphously perverse," meaning that we have the potential to develop a sexual interest in virtually anything. Yes, we all know that Freud...
Kink & BDSM
January 20, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Results from a new national survey reveal stark generational differences in sexual identity, attraction, and behavior in the United States today. Specifically, millennial men and women appear to be almost...
LGBTQIA+
January 16, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Here’s a brief recap of the most interesting sex research reports that crossed my desk this week. They include studies on how scientists should be measuring porn use, how consensual...
Sex Ed
January 15, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader asked the following:“Are there any health effects of swallowing semen? Is it better to spit it out instead of swallowing?"Thanks for these very interesting questions. Let me start...
Sex Q&A
January 14, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
If I were to tell you that lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are often excluded from scientific studies of romantic relationships, I doubt you would be surprised. However, the...
Dating & Relationships, LGBTQIA+
January 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
A small percentage of the population is asexual. This term is often defined as either a lack of sexual attraction or a lack of desire for partnered sexual activity. Asexuality...
LGBTQIA+
January 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
How many American adults have ever had sex? And what kind(s) of sex have they had? For a look at the answers, check out the infographic below, which summarizes findings...
Sex Ed
January 13, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few years, scientists have become increasingly interested in studying the potential effects of pornography on viewers. Several studies have been published, but many of them have yielded...
Sex Ed
January 10, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it actually mean to "have sex?" It depends who you ask. According to a new study published in the Journal of Sex Research, there is some pretty incredible...
Sex Ed
January 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many women find man-on-man pornography to be sexually arousing. In fact, gay male porn is the second most popular category among female visitors on some of the most popular porn...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
January 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of women out there who find man-on-man pornography to be highly arousing. As some evidence of this, one of the biggest porn websites in the world,...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
January 7, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people are under the impression that all of us are “supposed” to reach orgasm each and every time we have sex. Indeed, when an orgasm does not occur, some...
Sex Tips
January 3, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
What goes on inside the brain during sexual arousal and orgasm? And are there any neurological differences between men and women in this regard? In the Big Think video below,...
Sex Ed, Videos
January 2, 2016 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a major public health issue in the United States. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are as many...
Safe Sex
December 31, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexuality is a widely misunderstood sexual orientation that is the target of numerous myths and stereotypes. In light of this, I thought it would be useful to put together an...
LGBTQIA+
December 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
What is it about sex that makes it so pleasurable? For many people the answer to this question would seem to be pretty obvious: orgasm. But is that really the...
Videos
December 21, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
If a stranger on the street asks for help, how likely would that person be to receive assistance? If the requestor is a woman in high heels or a man...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
December 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
What happens to sexual satisfaction over the course of time in a romantic relationship? Does it increase as partners learn how to pleasure each other? Or does it decrease as...
Dating & Relationships
December 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Breasts are an important part of human anatomy for multiple reasons. Beyond helping to sustain life, they also play a role in sexual arousal for women and men alike. In...
Videos
December 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Red is one of the most common colors associated with Christmas. From Santa’s suit to Rudolph’s nose to that tacky sweater Grandma gave you last year, red is everywhere during...
Sex Ed
December 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
As 2015 comes to a close, let's take a look back at this year's most read articles on Sex and Psychology. The ten posts that follow represent an incredibly diverse...
Potpourri
December 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
At the start of each new year, many of us make resolutions for self-improvement, such as losing weight, getting one's finances in order, or giving up smoking. As you ponder...
Sex Ed
December 8, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Who's likely to be happier: a couple having sex once per week, or a couple having sex once per day? Intuitively, most people would probably say that the couple getting...
Sex Ed
December 7, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that when heterosexual men are around attractive women, they become prone to engaging in risky behaviors and spend their money more freely than usual. For instance,...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
December 7, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The United States has made great strides toward equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans over the past 15 years. For example, same-sex marriage is now legal nationwide,...
LGBTQIA+, Videos
November 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and Psychology is officially four years old! When I first started this blog in 2011, I had no idea what kind of response it would receive, but I couldn't...
Potpourri
November 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"How deep is a typical vagina? I hear a lot about penis size, but what about vagina size? Does size vary across nations?"Thanks for these...
Sex Ed
November 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that infidelity is linked to both poor relationship quality and divorce. But is that because infidelity is harmful to relationships, or is it perhaps because low...
Dating & Relationships
November 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
World AIDS Day is a global public health campaign that began 27 years ago and takes place annually on December 1. In support of this campaign, I am sharing the...
Videos
November 25, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"We all know that women fake orgasms, but what about men? How many guys have ever faked an orgasm?"Thanks for this interesting question. Let me...
Sex Q&A
November 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The holiday shopping season is rapidly coming to a close, but a lot of folks aren't quite finished and some haven't even started yet. If you're in need of shopping...
Potpourri
November 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"I know there aren't any bones in the penis, but can you still break it, like if you bend it too much when you're erect?"Thanks...
Sex Ed
November 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The results of Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey reveal that Americans’ views on sexual morality continue to shift in major ways, with particularly notable changes in the perceived acceptability...
Sex Ed
November 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
For those of you celebrating Thanksgiving this week, don't forget to be thankful for sex! Scientists have discovered that sex is linked a wide range of benefits for both body...
Potpourri
November 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex education is incredibly inconsistent throughout the United States. Some states require it, others don't. And in the states that mandate it, the information teachers are required by law to...
Safe Sex
November 4, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Evolutionary psychologists argue that men and women have evolved different jealousy patterns. They claim that men are more worried about their partners becoming sexually unfaithful, while women are more concerned...
LGBTQIA+
November 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I'm a married guy in my mid-40s. I'm happily married and travel a lot for work. Since my teens I've been an avid masturbator. I...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
November 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The world's first online dating company, Match.com, hit the scene twenty years ago. Since then, it has accumulated tens of millions of users worldwide and spawned numerous competitors. Online dating...
Dating & Relationships
October 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Among married people in the United States, studies have consistently found that somewhere between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 folks say they have cheated before--and that's just the...
Videos
October 28, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The birth control pill is something that a lot of us take for granted today. It has never been more widely available or easier to access (in fact, more than...
Safe Sex
October 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection that has the potential to cause a wide range of cancers, including cancers of the cervix, anus, and throat. A vaccine...
Sex Tips
October 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this fascinating and humorous TED talk, evolutionary biologist Dr. Marlene Zuk offers a look into the sexual practices of a wide range of insects, from dragonflies to honey bees...
Videos
October 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, it has become tradition for the media to run article after article warning parents that sex offenders may use the holiday as a...
Myth vs Fact
October 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Open relationships are widely believed to be more common in the gay community than they are in the rest of the population—and scientific research seems to back this up. For...
LGBTQIA+
October 15, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Most scientific research on attraction and mating preferences has focused on what we desire in a romantic or sexual partner. But what about the things that completely turn us off--the...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
October 9, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to sex, a lot of what we think of as being "normal" today was illegal and carried serious punishments in the not-too-distant past. For instance, federal law...
Media & Culture
October 9, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
For this week’s edition of Sex Question Friday, I’ve put together an updated list of the ten most read Q&A posts of all time from this site. These questions (all...
Sex Q&A
October 4, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
How much do you know about masturbation? Here’s a look at some of the main things scientists have learned over the years from studying self-love, including who does it, why...
Sex Ed
October 2, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Infidelity has long been a topic of interest to scientists who study sex and relationships. Over the years, they’ve uncovered a number of surprising things about who’s likely to cheat,...
Dating & Relationships
September 28, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Historically, masturbation has been viewed as an immoral activity capable of causing a wide range of negative health effects, including everything from blindness to hairy palms to insanity. Warnings about...
Videos
September 28, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"How many times a day does the average person think about sex? Do guys really think about it a lot more than girls?"Thanks for these...
Sex Q&A
September 21, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Despite major concerns about the effectiveness and side effect profile of flibanserin (also known as "Addyi"), the drug so many have misleadingly referred to as "female Viagra," it is coming...
Potpourri, Videos
September 18, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
As someone who spends a fair amount of time engaging the public with the latest scientific research on sexuality and relationships, it is not uncommon for me to receive comments...
Psychology
September 18, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Can friends with benefits stop having sex and go back to being friends? Or is that just wishful thinking?"Good question! Navigating a “friends with benefits”...
Sex Q&A
September 11, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Among the many reasons reported by men for not using condoms consistently is that they can’t “keep it up” when they’re wearing a rubber. In other words, some guys stay...
Safe Sex, Sex Tips
September 11, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few years, a growing media panic has emerged about the dangers of pornography. Much of this has centered around the concepts of "pornography addiction" and "porn-induced erectile...
Myth vs Fact
September 4, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasy is one of the most "fascinating" topics in the field of human sexuality, which is why I am currently conducting an online survey of sexual fantasies that is...
Sex Ed
September 4, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
I am pleased to announce that for the third year in a row, there will be a Sexuality Pre-Conference prior to the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and...
Sex Ed
September 1, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
We have a rape problem on college and university campuses throughout the United States--there is no denying or debating that. And correcting this problem should merit a lot of our...
Sex Ed
August 30, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A lot of straight guys are freaked out by the idea of having a vasectomy. Some worry that it will make them "less of a man." Some are worried that...
Safe Sex
August 24, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The penis tends to be the most common part of the body that men are dissatisfied with and wish they could change. Consider this: one online survey of over 25,000...
Sex Tips
August 24, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
It is not uncommon for men to experience sexual difficulties. In fact, national surveys have found that nearly half of male participants report having had at least one sexual problem...
Sex Tips
August 21, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In my line of work, I’m always learning about new and unusual sexual desires. One of the most intriguing ones I have ever come across is vorarephilia, which has been...
Kink & BDSM
August 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Have you ever seen the reality television show Cheaters, which seeks to expose people who are suspected of committing infidelity one person at a time? A group of internet hackers...
Dating & Relationships
August 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Adolescent sex education is extremely inconsistent throughout the United States. Some kids receive it at school, others don't--and those who receive formal sex education aren't necessarily any better off than...
Videos
August 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Humans aren’t the only ones that have to deal with sexually transmitted infections—animals do too. Indeed, chlamydia, syphilis, and several other STIs known all too well among humans have been...
Sex Ed
August 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“How common is it for straight guys to experiment with other guys?”Good question! Although there is a common tendency to think that anyone can be...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
August 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Millennials are often referred to as "the hookup generation," with popular media portrayals characterizing them as constantly jumping from one hook-up to the next and rejecting traditional notions of dating...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
July 30, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexologists have long recognized that a link exists between feet and orgasm, but I'm not talking about foot fetishes here. What I am referring to is the fact that, upon...
Sex Tips
July 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Is it necessary to use condoms/dental dams for oral sex? What if it is not used? Does that guarantee transmission of sexually transmitted infections?”Thanks for...
Safe Sex, Sex Q&A
July 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Feederism has been described as "a fat fetish focused on erotic eating, feeding, and gaining weight." There are two basic types of people who exist in this fetish culture: feeders...
Kink & BDSM, Videos
July 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-two years ago today (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on the findings of Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. It was the first book...
Sex Ed
July 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you're probably a fan of sex research. But have you ever wondered who is behind the fascinating studies and theories discussed...
Interviews
July 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In case you aren't familiar with the term "lifehack," it refers to any "tool or technique that makes some aspect of one's life easier or more efficient." Based on the...
Videos
July 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Is there such a thing as wanting too much sex? He says I don't want it enough. I think he wants it too much. He...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
July 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
People and governments across the globe have been working to legalize same-sex marriage for the last 15 years. At first, the rate of legalization was best described as a slow...
LGBTQIA+
July 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Is it normal to not know your sexual orientation?”This is a really interesting question, so thanks for asking it! I’m going to assume that by...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
July 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Flibanserin, a drug some of you probably know more commonly as "female Viagra" or "pink Viagra," has been in the news a lot lately. This is a drug that is...
Media & Culture, Sex Tips, Videos
July 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Male circumcision, or the removal of the penile foreskin, is a procedure performed on most male infants in the United States today. Although the rate of circumcision has declined during...
Sex Ed
July 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In a new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science, researchers examined whether the timing, quantity, and quality of men's ejaculate changes when they masturbate to images of a familiar woman...
Sex Ed
July 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Although casual sex is something that most Americans have done before, it is a sexual activity that continues to be viewed in a largely negative light. For instance, casual sex...
Myth vs Fact, Videos
July 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The concept of “pornography addiction” is one that has generated a lot of debate in the popular media. Although pretty much everyone seems to agree that there are indeed some...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
July 9, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Kissing is frequently claimed to be a universal or nearly universal romantic behavior. For instance, many sexuality textbooks argue something to the effect that while kissing is common in the...
Sex Ed
July 9, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
How much do we really know about human pheromones? Not quite as much as the ever-growing number of bottled pheromone peddlers would have you believe. Indeed, it turns out that...
Videos
June 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
During the last few decades, sex toys have undergone a major transformation. Manufacturers have gone from producing toys with extremely utilitarian designs to those that pay a lot of attention...
Potpourri
June 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Kegel exercises have been around for more than a half century. In fact, they were first described by Dr. Arnold Kegel back in the 1940s. Although they were initially developed...
Sex Tips
June 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
BDSM (which stands for bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism) is a widely misunderstood set of sexual practices. There are a lot of myths and stereotypes out there about...
Kink & BDSM, Myth vs Fact
June 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Using drugs to enhance one’s libido or sexual performance is nothing new, but there are certainly more options today than ever before. This includes prescription drugs (e.g., Viagra for erectile...
Sex Ed
June 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasy is one of the most, well, "fascinating" topics in human sexuality, which is why I am currently running an online survey of sexual fantasies that is designed to...
Fantasies
June 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Previous research has found that both men and women report a wide range of reasons for having sex. In fact, as many as 237 different reasons have been identified! But...
Sex Ed
June 18, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
For much of our history, our bodies have been used to separate us into categories that tell us who we are (e.g., male vs. female). However, the more that science...
Gender, Videos
June 18, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Millennials are often portrayed in the popular media as an extremely liberal bunch when it comes to sex. The impression given is that, among other things, millennials are totally cool...
Sex Ed
June 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Is it safe to share sex toys with other people as long as you clean them up well, or do you still need to worry...
Sex Q&A
June 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, psychologist Dr. Meg Barker challenges us to rethink the so-called "rules" of relationships. She argues that clinging to the old rules is indeed problematic, but that...
Videos
June 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Although sex is a topic about which many of us are inherently curious, there are surprisingly few reliable sources out there for learning about it, especially sources that are grounded...
Media & Culture, Psychology
June 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Each year that he has been in office, U.S. President Barack Obama has issued a Presidential Proclamation declaring June to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month (see...
LGBTQIA+
June 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few weeks, Caitlyn Jenner has become the public face of transgenderism around the world. Jenner's courageous decision to undergo her transition in the public eye has undoubtedly...
LGBTQIA+
June 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
For years, multiple orgasms are something that both scientists and laypersons alike have viewed as being unique to women, not to mention a relatively common part of the female sexual...
Sex Ed
May 27, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Twenty years ago today, one of the most unusual and fascinating studies of animal sex I have ever come across took place. It was an observational study of the world’s...
Kink & BDSM
May 27, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Imagine that you started having sex twice as often as you were right now. How do you think you would feel? Although most people would probably guess that their happiness...
Sex Ed
May 27, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fetishes consist of recurring sexual fantasies, urges, and/or behaviors that center around nonliving objects, body parts, and secretions. People can develop fetishes for a wide range of things, including...
Kink & BDSM
May 22, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TED talk, therapist Esther Perel gives a fantastic presentation on infidelity that is rooted in both scientific research, as well as her own clinical observations. She addresses a...
Videos
May 21, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
It goes without saying that most sex researchers study people who have sex. Over the last few decades, we have accumulated a significant body of scientific knowledge about such persons....
Sex Ed
May 21, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
How have American adults' sexual attitudes and behaviors changed in the last two decades? Check out the infographic below for a look at what data from the General Social Survey...
Sex Ed
May 15, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
If you have ever seen a commercial for Viagra or any other erectile dysfunction drug, you've probably heard the advertiser warn male users to seek medical attention if they develop...
Sex Tips
May 15, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasy is one of the most interesting topics there is in the field of human sexuality. Below is a selection of fascinating facts that have emerged from the research...
Fantasies, Sex Ed
May 14, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, mathematician Dr. Hannah Fry discusses what mathematics can offer to the study of love and how we can potentially apply it to our everyday lives. Not...
Videos
May 7, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Open-access (OA) science journals such as PLoS ONE operate under a different model of editorial and peer review than the traditional non-OA journals. Perhaps the biggest difference is that, at...
Psychology
May 7, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The fun and always fascinating world of teledildonics (i.e., computerized sex toys) continues to yield lots of new, exciting, and entertaining developments. One of the latest is a sex toy...
Potpourri
May 7, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Consensually non-monogamous (CNM) relationships are those in which all of the partners involved agree that having sexual and/or romantic relationships with other persons is acceptable. CNM relationships can take many...
Dating & Relationships
May 1, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
If you have ever been to a sex shop (or browsed one online), you have probably noticed that vibrators come in all different sizes, shapes, and colors. In addition, you...
Potpourri
May 1, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Imagine you just discovered that someone you know has committed infidelity. Would you keep this information to yourself, or would you share it with others? A new study just published...
Dating & Relationships
May 1, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx Talk, Dr. Gary Lewandowski takes a look at the science behind relationship breakups and argues that they often aren't as bad as we think they're going to...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
April 24, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
My home state of Indiana has been in the news a lot lately, and most of the news coverage has portrayed it in a pretty unflattering light. This is due...
Myth vs Fact
April 24, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Many parents believe that homosexuality is contagious, being transmitted through social contact. In fact, some of them endeavor to keep their children away from gay and lesbian peers out of...
LGBTQIA+
April 24, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Little research has attempted to determine the prevalence of sexual interest in prepubescent children among adult men. The studies that do exist have tended to involve small, non-representative samples, and...
Sex Ed
April 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"What's the secret to making a friends with benefits situation work? How do you avoid things getting complicated?"There's no doubt about it--friends with benefits (FWBs)...
Sex Q&A
April 17, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexual persons are frequently stereotyped as being sexually confused, secretly gay, highly promiscuous, and incapable of maintaining a monogamous relationship. These negative views of bisexuals are held by many heterosexuals,...
LGBTQIA+
April 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Many in the popular media have argued that the increased availability of online pornography is contributing to an earlier onset of erectile difficulties in men. However, scientific research has not...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
April 10, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Asexuality is a topic that has received an increasing amount of attention from sex researchers in recent years. For instance, studies have been published on the genital arousal patterns of...
Sex Ed
April 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common sexual difficulties reported by men. It is a complex problem that can be caused by numerous factors, including some that are...
Sex Tips
April 3, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Anal sex is a sexual activity that is frequently reported by both men and women in America. For instance, a recent CDC survey reported that 44% of men and 36%...
Sex Ed
April 2, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Many women (and their partners) have concerns about sex during pregnancy. For instance, survey research has found that 25-50% of pregnant women and 25% of their male partners have concerns...
Sex Ed
March 27, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TED talk, therapist Ester Perel (author of Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence) argues that, in the modern world, married people have come to expect a lot of...
Videos
March 26, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
The male orgasm plays a vital role in human reproduction, given that it typically coincides with ejaculation. Indeed, a man who cannot reach orgasm would likely have a very difficult...
Sex Ed
March 26, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Just how common is cheating? What percentage of people admit that they have done it before?"This is a surprisingly difficult question to answer because it...
Sex Q&A
March 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Although internet pornography is frequently criticized for depicting gender inequality, surprisingly little research has examined the actual gendered content of online porn. Moreover, what little research does exist in this...
Gender, Sex Ed
March 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this fascinating TED talk, anthropologist Helen Fisher describes the evolution of love, the neurochemical foundation behind it, and the essential role in plays in our lives. She also talks...
Videos
March 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Is there any truth to the concept of lesbian bed death, or is this just an urban legend?”Thanks for this great question. “Lesbian bed death”...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
March 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
As discussed before on this site, Fifty Shades of Grey doesn’t offer the most accurate or realistic depiction of BDSM sex. Other popular media portrayals of it aren’t necessarily any...
Kink & BDSM
March 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Pornography has been blamed for a number of problems over the years. Among the many claims leveled against porn is that it causes divorce and sexual violence (neither of which...
Myth vs Fact
March 12, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
We humans like to think of ourselves as having free will. We like to think, for instance, that how many sexual partners we have and how quick we are to...
Videos
March 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Evolutionary psychologists have long argued that many of the physical features heterosexual men are drawn to in women reflect traits that signify female health and fertility status. The basic argument...
Sex Ed
March 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question: “I wanted to inquire into a ‘strange’ fetish where the man likes his woman to convince him he has undersized manhood. ‘Small penis humiliation’...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
March 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent paper published in the British Journal of Urology International reports results from the first systematic review of all penis size studies to date in order to provide a...
Sex Ed
March 2, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Can medications that men take regularly (like blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes meds) be passed through their seminal fluid to their oral sex partner? Many...
Sex Q&A
February 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists have accumulated a substantial body of research revealing that women's mating preferences and behaviors appear to change in various ways when they are ovulating. For instance, during ovulation, women...
Sex Ed
February 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
People have a tendency to think of child sex offending as being largely, if not exclusively, attributable to male perpetrators. This likely stems, at least in part, from the way...
Gender
February 20, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader contacted me with the following hypothesis about the origin of cuckold fantasies:“Do you want to know WHY some men feel aroused by that cuckold fantasy? It comes from...
Sex Q&A
February 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
As a sex educator, I get approached with sex questions all of the time. However, I can't help but notice that some topics come up much more frequently than others....
Sex Ed
February 19, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
People have been looking for ways to enhance their libidos and sexual functioning for centuries; however, it turns out that most of the aphrodisiacs that have been discovered to date...
Videos
February 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Survey research has consistently found that men and women differ in the degree to which they desire certain traits in their romantic partners, with men placing relatively more value on...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
February 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“Is it a bad idea to get involved with someone who I know cheated in their last relationship? I mean, once a cheater, always a...
Sex Q&A
February 13, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
I have been a sex educator for nearly a decade and, during that time, I’ve been asked a lot of questions about a lot of different things; however, year after...
Sex Ed
February 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
For your viewing (and learning) pleasure this Valentine's Day weekend, I've put together a playlist of five of my favorite videos on the science of love and attraction. These videos...
Videos
February 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
This Valentine’s Day weekend, a lot of couples will be heading out for dinner and a movie—and for many of them, their film of choice is likely to be the...
Kink & BDSM, Media & Culture
February 6, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
When people talk about love, they often describe it in terms of “two hearts beating as one.” Although you might be tempted to think of this as nothing other than...
Dating & Relationships
January 31, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Asexuality is a sexual orientation that is often characterized as a lack of sexual attraction. Research suggests that up to 1% of the population may be asexual and, further, that...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
January 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Unprotected sex happens for a wide range of reasons. For instance, sometimes condoms aren't available, but people decide to have sex anyway, while other times, a condom might slip off...
Safe Sex
January 29, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A female reader submitted the following question:“If a woman does not have intercourse over a long period of time, is it possible for her hymen to grow back and make...
Sex Q&A
January 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:"Everyone says sex is a great form of exercise. But, realistically, how many calories can you actually expect to burn when you have sex?"Great question!...
Sex Q&A
January 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
How much do you know about the female orgasm? Check out the list below for 11 of the most interesting facts scientists have discovered about women and their orgasms. Which...
Sex Ed
January 23, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the most common sexual difficulties in men. Because the prevalence of it increases so much with age, ED is a sexual problem that most...
Sex Tips
January 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists have discovered that people can develop sexual fetishes for a wide range of objects, with some of the most common being articles of clothing, including underwear, lingerie, and stockings...
Kink & BDSM
January 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
There are currently two billion children in the world. How many will there be 100 years from now? Will that number go up, down, or stay the same, and why?...
Videos
January 16, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:“I saw the Galactic Cap on a YouTube video, and really wanted to know your thoughts. It seems dangerous and ridiculous to me, but I...
Safe Sex, Sex Q&A
January 9, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
A reader submitted the following question:I have a BA in psychology and just recently applied to doctoral programs in psychology and gender studies. Considering how competitive these programs are, I...
Sex Q&A
January 8, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
“The birds and the bees” talk is an important, but oftentimes awkward milestone in children’s lives during which their parents explain sex. Although public opinion polls have found that most...
Gender
January 4, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a male reader who asked the following:“I ejaculate prematurely when I...
Sex Q&A
January 2, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
Female ejaculation is one of those topics that consistently generates a lot of debate among scientists and laypersons alike. The debate isn’t so much about whether female ejaculation is real...
Sex Ed
January 1, 2015 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TED talk, Elizabeth Pisani argues that, in order to prevent the spread of HIV, we need to start making policy decisions that are rational for public health instead...
Videos
December 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In countries ravaged by HIV where access to contraceptives and barriers is limited, it is not uncommon for donor agencies from around the world to come in and flood the...
Safe Sex, Videos
December 20, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following: “How many men have...
Sex Q&A
December 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Did you know that Lysol and Coca-Cola used to be used as contraceptives? Or that usage of birth control pills is related not only to what women pay attention to...
Safe Sex
December 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a male reader who wanted to know the following:“I seem to...
Sex Q&A
December 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
For my final post of the year, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the most read articles on Sex and Psychology in 2014 to...
Potpourri
December 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that one of the biggest seasonal peaks in sexual activity occurs around the winter holidays. This makes sense because this time of year offers more opportunities for...
Sex Ed
December 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex and Psychology is officially three years old! When I first started this blog, I never dreamed that it would reach this level of popularity. I guess I did not...
Potpourri
December 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is an organization that works to enhance the sexual and reproductive health of women and young people all around the world. One of the...
Safe Sex
December 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study claiming to demonstrate bias in how college students evaluate female instructors has been making a lot of waves in the media recently. The study, published in the...
Gender, Myth vs Fact
December 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s that time of year when people start hunting for the perfect holiday gift for their significant other. Despite all of the effort and thought that goes into this process,...
Potpourri
December 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“Is there any good...
Sex Q&A
December 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A number of research studies have emerged in the last few years reporting a link between sexting and sexual behavior among teenagers. However, the inherent weakness of this body of...
Sex Ed
November 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A new set of studies just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that when we are on the verge of entering a new decade in...
Dating & Relationships
November 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The 2014 holiday shopping season is officially underway and I know that many of you will soon be racking your brains as you try to come up with gift ideas...
Potpourri
November 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of great TED talks out there about sex, but one of my personal favorites is Dr. Debby Herbenick’s presentation on “Making Sex Normal.” It was first...
Videos
November 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Some scientists have argued that kissing is an evolutionarily adaptive behavior. Their hypothesis is that, because kissing provides a mechanism for sharing certain types of bacteria and viruses, it could...
Sex Ed
November 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
This Thanksgiving, when you think about all of the things you are thankful for, don't forget about sex! Research has found that sex is linked to numerous benefits for both...
Potpourri
November 20, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Pubic hair removal has been the subject of a growing amount of research attention; however, surprisingly little work in this area has addressed the question of how men and women...
Gender, Sex Ed
November 13, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A woman of reproductive age has the potential to become pregnant from vaginal intercourse regardless of whether she experiences an orgasm. This fact has prompted an ongoing debate about the...
Sex Ed
November 13, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the topic of...
Sex Q&A
November 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasies about bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism (BDSM) have long been deemed to be "unusual" or "deviant." But are they really all that rare? A new study...
Kink & BDSM
November 2, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, human beings have been making and using condoms for thousands of years. Despite how long they’ve been around, condoms remain imperfect and continue to be misused....
Safe Sex
October 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, Dr. Terri Orbuch describes the science behind lust and love. Research shows that these are completely distinct experiences and, as Orbuch explains, there are actually four...
Videos
October 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Imagine that someone you aren’t attracted to approaches you for a date. How would you respond? I bet most of you said that you would decline the offer and move...
Dating & Relationships
October 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Bisexuality is a controversial sexual orientation among both scientists and laypersons alike. Indeed, there is a popular stereotype that bisexuality “is just a layover on the way to gaytown” (if...
LGBTQIA+
October 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people's questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week's question comes from a female reader who wanted to know the following:"Everyone talks about...
Safe Sex, Sex Q&A
October 29, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you're probably a fan of sex research. But have you ever wondered who is behind the fascinating studies and theories discussed...
Interviews
October 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every year around Halloween, the media starts running story after story warning parents to watch out for sex offenders who plan to exploit the holiday as a means of preying...
Myth vs Fact
October 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a female reader who wanted to know the following:“Is it normal...
Sex Q&A
October 23, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Centuries ago, Aristotle proposed the concept of telegony, which suggests that the traits of offspring are not only influenced by their biological parents, but also by the mother’s former mates....
Sex Ed
October 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people's questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week's question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:"Is there any truth...
Sex Q&A
October 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
It is no great secret that political and religious conservatives in the United States have a tendency to disapprove of any kind of sexual activity that is inconsistent with “traditional...
Sex Ed
October 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, Mechai Viravaidya talks about his work promoting condoms in Thailand from the 1970s until today. Viravaidya’s efforts have been so successful that he has been dubbed...
Safe Sex, Videos
October 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Diversity courses dealing with sexuality, gender, and race offer a range of benefits to the students who take them. As a result, U.S. colleges and universities are increasingly adding such...
Psychology
October 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer readers’ questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week, I’m answering two related questions that came in on the topic of long-distance relationships:“Can...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Q&A
October 9, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex researchers have long been concerned about the reliability of self-report surveys assessing people’s sexual interests and level of sexual arousal. The fear has always been that people will not...
Sex Ed
October 8, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx talk, Dr. Caroline Heldman argues that American culture has led many of us to falsely believe that being a sex object is empowering. To the contrary, she...
Videos
October 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
I have attended a lot of psychology conferences over the years and, after many of them, I often thought to myself: “What would have made this conference even better? More...
Psychology
October 2, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Two of the biggest songs on the charts right now feature lyrics that celebrate the sex appeal of curvy women: Meghan Trainor's All About That Bass and Nikki Minaj's Anaconda...
Potpourri
October 2, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Stealing someone else’s spouse or lover is a common occurrence on television shows and in the movies. This phenomenon, known scientifically as mate poaching, is not just the stuff of...
Dating & Relationships
September 26, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to selecting contraceptives, women have a lot more options than men. Women can choose from pills, patches, vaginal rings, IUDs, diaphragms, hormone injections, tubal ligations, and much...
Safe Sex
September 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who was curious about the origin of sexual fetishes:“Are...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
September 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently launched an online survey of sexual fantasies that is designed to be the largest and most comprehensive investigation of the nature and origin of sexual fantasies ever undertaken....
Sex Ed
September 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions out there about sexual orientation concerning everything from the origin of homosexuality to the sexual behaviors of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals....
LGBTQIA+
September 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“The first time a...
Sex Q&A
September 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Dr. Shirley Zussman is a practicing sex therapist in New York City--and she recently turned 100-years-old. Across all of her years in practice, sex has changed a lot, from the...
Videos
September 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past 30 years, much has been said and written about “lesbian bed death,” or the idea that long-term romantic relationships between women tend to be characterized by rather...
LGBTQIA+
September 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a heterosexually-identified male reader who wanted to know the following:“How common...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
September 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the keys to a healthy, long-term relationship is maintaining physical intimacy. I’m not just talking about sex, though—for many reasons, non-sexual physical intimacy is just as important. For...
Sex Tips
September 8, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
For this week’s edition of Sex Question Friday, I’ve compiled a list of the ten most read answers to readers’ sex questions. These questions span quite a range of topics,...
Sex Q&A
September 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you know whether your date is looking for a one-night stand or a long-term love? A new study just published in the journal Psychological Science suggests that the...
Sex Ed
September 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TED talk, sexuality educator Al Vernacchio argues that Americans need a new metaphor when talking about sex. Vernacchio claims that, all too often, we talk about our sex...
Videos
August 29, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The other day, I overheard a couple of college-age guys talking about what they thought was an ingenious method for never failing a breathalyzer test again when stopped by police...
Myth vs Fact
August 29, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The orgasm gap (which refers to the idea that men have more consistent experiences with orgasm than women) has been widely publicized. To date, however, research on this topic has...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
August 28, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“Is it really possible...
Sex Q&A
August 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In the book A Billion Wicked Thoughts, neuroscientists Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam analyzed the contents of over a billion searches on some of the most popular porn sites. Among...
Sex Ed
August 20, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty-one years ago today (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on the findings of Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. It was the first book...
Sex Ed
August 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Premenstrual syndrome (or PMS as it is more commonly known) is a catchall term for any unpleasant physical and psychological symptoms a woman might experience just prior to getting her...
Sex Ed
August 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“Is marijuana an aphrodisiac?...
Sex Q&A
August 13, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common questions I receive about sexual orientation concerns the percentage of the population that is gay, lesbian, or bisexual. People seem to have wildly different ideas...
LGBTQIA+
August 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
What is it that determines who we are sexually attracted to? This is a surprisingly complex question to answer because attractiveness appears to depend upon a number of factors. Some...
Sex Ed
August 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of us think of sperm as being competitive by nature, with each sperm cell trying to “swim” just a little faster than the others in order to reach the...
Sex Ed
August 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Nerve recently ran an article entitled "Meet The Modern-Day Masters Of Sex," in which they interviewed four sexologists about how they got into the field, what a typical day looks...
Psychology
August 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a male reader who wanted to know more about the topic...
Sex Q&A
August 6, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Almost everyone has heard the phrase “nice guys finish last” before. But is there any truth to it? According to a new set of studies published in Personality and Social...
Dating & Relationships
July 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the topic of...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
July 30, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
How do you feel about the first time you had sex? If you pose this question to a bunch of different people, you’re bound to find a range of responses....
Gender, Sex Ed
July 30, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Did you know that the argonaut octopus has a flying, detachable penis? Or that female kangaroos have three vaginas? Or that female hyenas have clitorises so large that people often...
Videos
July 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Although many women and their sexual partners have taken some time to familiarize themselves with the vagina, the reality is that most of us don’t know as much as we...
Sex Ed
July 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Are men really more likely to cheat than women? Are bigger breasts less sensitive than smaller breasts? Do guys reach their sexual peak early in life, while women reach theirs...
Videos
July 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people's questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week's question comes from a female reader who isn't satisfied with the amount and type...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
July 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about male and female...
Sex Q&A
July 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this fascinating TED talk, Dr. Helen Fisher explores what happens inside the brain when we experience romantic love. To that end, Fisher describes a series of studies she conducted...
Videos
July 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The penis is a fascinating piece of human anatomy; however, most of us know surprisingly little about it. So, I decided to compile a list of ten of the most...
Sex Ed
July 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Post-sex behaviors are highly variable from one person to the next. Some of us spoon or cuddle, some of us go right to sleep, and some of us get up...
Dating & Relationships
July 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In a recent survey, I asked readers of this site to describe the most unusual thing they have ever seen that caused them to become sexually aroused. My reason for...
Kink & BDSM
July 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Katie Couric recently ran a segment on her show entitled “How To Prevent Your Kids From Watching Porn.” The title of the segment makes the agenda clear: all pornography is...
Media & Culture
July 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“I can’t help but...
Sex Q&A
July 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP for short) has been in the news a lot lately. In case you are not familiar, PrEP refers to a new method of HIV prevention. Uninfected...
Safe Sex
July 2, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the last few years, we have increasingly incorporated technology into our sex lives. For instance, people are using cameras and computers to create their own amateur porn and share...
Potpourri
June 29, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Women have the potential to become pregnant whether or not they reach orgasm during vaginal intercourse. This observation has generated a long-standing scientific debate about why women have orgasms in...
Sex Ed
June 27, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“How many Americans are...
Sex Q&A
June 27, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In this fascinating TED talk, Dr. Sheeren El Feki explores the nature of sex and sexuality in the modern Arab world. Of course, most people recognize that the Middle East...
Videos
June 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“I’ve always heard that...
Sex Q&A
June 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
What exactly does it mean for a man to ejaculate “prematurely?” This has been a topic of considerable scientific debate for quite some time, with many arguing that the current...
Sex Tips
June 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
So far this year, two studies have been released reporting that use of Grindr and other smartphone hook-up apps is linked to a higher prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among...
Sex Ed
June 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know:“Why are straight guys into breasts?...
Sex Q&A
June 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Whenever you survey people about how many sexual partners they have had in their lifetime, you undoubtedly find a lot of variability. Some people report one or two partners ever,...
Sex Ed
June 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual difficulties are incredibly common. In fact, data from nationally representative surveys suggests that nearly half of men and women report having experienced at least one sexual problem in the...
Sex Tips
June 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know:“How many people have their penises...
Sex Q&A
June 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Botox is most well known for its ability to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles on the face; however, it actually has a surprising number of medical applications....
Sex Tips
June 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual functioning plays a huge role not only in terms of how we feel about ourselves, but also how we feel about our relationships. Despite its great importance to everyday...
Sex Tips
May 30, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know:“How many sex partners do men...
Sex Q&A
May 30, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Many athletes abstain from sex before major sporting competitions out of fear that sexual activity might negatively affect their performance. For instance, it was recently reported the British boxer Carl...
Videos
May 28, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A growing amount of research suggests that what heterosexual women find attractive in men changes across the menstrual cycle. Specifically, women tend to report greater attraction to masculine-looking and -acting...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
May 23, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Think you know everything there is to know about the topic of orgasm? For today’s post, I’ve compiled a list of 15 of the most fun and interesting scientific facts...
Potpourri
May 23, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the origin of...
Sex Q&A
May 22, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In 1972, a paper published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology announced scientific support for the so-called “Romeo and Juliet effect." The basic idea was that the more...
Dating & Relationships, Myth vs Fact
May 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In my last article, I discussed the prevalence of sexual sadism and masochism based upon results from the latest Reader Survey. This survey revealed that 50% of readers reported experiences...
Kink & BDSM
May 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Results from the latest Reader Survey are in and, as usual, they’re absolutely fascinating! The most recent survey inquired about experiences with what have traditionally been considered paraphilic behaviors (i.e.,...
Kink & BDSM
May 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“Is it normal for...
Sex Q&A
May 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“So we know that...
Sex Q&A
May 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that when heterosexual women view different types of pornography, they tend to show a nonspecific genital arousal pattern with respect to the gender of the performers...
Sex Ed
May 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
There are numerous factors that help determine why we develop attraction to some people and not others. However, what we're going to focus on here is the role that the...
Videos
May 9, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know:“Is rimming safe?”In case anyone reading...
Sex Q&A
May 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study that sought to uncover what factors predict women’s likelihood of committing infidelity has been making a lot of headlines [1]. Although this study identified several variables linked...
Myth vs Fact
May 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years back, I posted an article about the most unusual (and amusing) study of animal sex I have ever read, which concerned the world’s first known case of...
Potpourri, Videos
April 30, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Why do human beings have sex? Surprisingly few scientists have bothered to study this question, likely because it’s one that seems to have an obvious answer: humans have sex for...
Gender, Sex Ed
April 28, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex toys have become incredibly popular in recent years. Just consider this: national U.S. survey data reveal that 52.5% of women and 44.8% of men report having used a vibrator...
Safe Sex
April 27, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“Is the ingestion of a man's ejaculate...
Sex Q&A
April 25, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A new porn film entitled Viral Loads has earned quite a bit of attention for its graphic depictions of guys who are eager to give and receive HIV through man-on-man...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
April 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Bacteria and viruses are crafty little organisms. They need to be spread quickly from host to host in order to survive, so they tend to evolve in ways that ensure...
Sex Ed
April 18, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a female reader who wanted to know more about the topic...
Sex Q&A
April 16, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The hormone oxytocin is often referred to in the popular media as the “love hormone” or “cuddle drug” because research has shown that it plays an important role in human...
Myth vs Fact
April 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
I have been teaching college level human sexuality courses for nearly a decade. However, during all of that time, I could never find the right textbook. Certainly, there are a...
Psychology
April 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question centers around the rather controversial topic of facials—and I don’t mean the kind...
Sex Q&A
April 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
As part of my Human Sexuality course, I teach about sexual anatomy in both biological females and males. During my anatomy lecture, it is not uncommon for students to ask...
Videos
April 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
According to the Urban Dictionary, the term beer goggles is defined as the “phenomenon in which one's consumption of alcohol makes physically unattractive persons appear beautiful.” In recent years, much...
Myth vs Fact
April 4, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether women who use vibrators...
Sex Q&A
April 2, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The term “paraphilia” literally means “beyond typical love.” As a result, it has become the word of choice among psychologists to describe a wide range of unusual sexual interests. However,...
Gender, Kink & BDSM
March 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Historically and even today, many religious groups and organizations have promoted the view that any sexual activity outside the context of heterosexual marriage is immoral and harmful. One of the...
LGBTQIA+
March 28, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
“The diversity that we see in sexual structures in the animal kingdom that has evolved in response to the multitude of factors surrounding reproduction is pretty mind-blowing.” – Carin BondarIn...
Videos
March 26, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that heterosexual men seem to be able to detect when women are ovulating and this, in turn, appears to have implications for guys’ behavior. For instance, one...
Sex Ed
March 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
With the exception of a few counties in Nevada, prostitution is illegal throughout the United States. Given that sex work is something that largely exists in the shadows, next to...
Sex Ed
March 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the G-spot:“Does the...
Sex Q&A
March 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
For years, we have heard claims on many political talk and news shows that reducing birth control costs and/or making contraception more widely available will increase female promiscuity. For example,...
Safe Sex, Sex Ed
March 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. A few weeks ago, I answered a question from a reader about whether it is possible...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
March 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists have long known that women sometimes experience multiple orgasms. Indeed, in their 1966 book entitled Human Sexual Response, William Masters and Virginia Johnson noted that:“The human female frequently is...
Sex Ed
March 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:For female-to-male transsexual individuals,...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
March 5, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
There are currently more than two dozen legal challenges to gaymarriage bans working their way through the U.S. court system. In several of those cases, state attorneys have refused to...
LGBTQIA+
March 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In the not-too-distant past, masturbation was routinely denounced as an activity that not only damages your health, but also your soul. Physicians and priests would warn people about the dangers...
Sex Ed
February 28, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:Do animals have orgasms...
Sex Q&A
February 26, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that people who are frequent victims of anti-gay prejudice and discrimination report worse health. Not only does the stress of victimization put wear and tear on...
LGBTQIA+
February 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the last decade, the concept of sexual fluidity has drawn great attention from both scientists and the general public alike. In case you aren’t familiar with it, the basic...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
February 21, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“I saw a talk...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
February 19, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In my previous post, I talked about why I no longer want to be a part of the traditional academic publication system: the acceptance criteria are entirely too subjective, the...
Psychology
February 17, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
As a graduate student, I was taught that I needed to publish, publish, publish if I ever wanted a job. So I spent countless hours conducting study after study and...
Psychology
February 14, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people's questions about sex, love, and relationships. Today’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the following:“What’s your favorite sex fact?”That’s...
Sex Q&A
February 12, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
How attractive do you find the prospect of sex with animals? Do you think it would be fun to watch another person urinate? Do you find shoes erotic? If you’re...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Ed
February 11, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A surprising number of heterosexual married men have so-called "cuckold fantasies," meaning that they find the prospect of watching their wives have sex with other guys to be sexually arousing...
Sex Ed
February 9, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent New York Times piece by Lori Gottlieb entitled "Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex?" made a lot of waves over the weekend. Gottlieb's analysis suggests that...
Dating & Relationships, Myth vs Fact
February 7, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about what happens to...
Sex Q&A
February 5, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people had an orgasm the last time they had sex? Are certain sexual activities linked to a greater likelihood of orgasm than others? Check out the infographic below...
Sex Ed
February 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s a popular storyline in the movies and on TV: one of the characters gets dumped by their romantic partner and decides to cope with this unfortunate reality by having...
Dating & Relationships
January 31, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wants to know more about the withdrawal method...
Sex Q&A
January 29, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found changes in women’s sexual attitudes and behaviors during ovulation. For example, research suggests that ovulating women opt for sexier and more revealing clothing [1] and move...
Sex Ed
January 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In the last few years, several smartphone apps that help men who have sex with men (MSM) find casual sex partners have entered the market. Perhaps the most well-known of...
Sex Ed
January 24, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most popular features on The Psychology of Human Sexuality is Sex Question Friday, in which I answer readers’ questions about sex, love, and relationships. The sheer number...
Sex Q&A
January 22, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
“Why are we so drawn to dance, and is it really equivalent to a human mating call? More importantly, does dancing increase your potential to ‘get some?’”In the fascinating video...
Videos
January 20, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Several recent studies have found that heterosexual men make judgments about women’s sexual intent based upon their physical appearance. For example, men think women are more interested in and willing...
Sex Ed
January 17, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
In a recent media interview, Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to reassure the world that gay and lesbian visitors should not be afraid of attending this year's Olympics in Sochi....
LGBTQIA+
January 17, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about voyeurism.What can you...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
January 15, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Imagine that you’re sitting in bed watching some porn on your smartphone or laptop. You look up to see that your partner has just entered the room. What do you...
Sex Ed
January 13, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
The hottest trend in sex toys right now is teledildonics. If this word is new to your vocabulary, it refers to electronic sex toys that can be controlled by computers...
Potpourri
January 10, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a male reader who wants to know what he can do...
Sex Q&A
January 8, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Although most teenagers in the United States receive some form of sex education in school, teens have no guarantee of receiving comprehensive or reliable information about contraception, safe sex, or...
Sex Ed
January 6, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
I read a fascinating Ask Me Anything (AMA) on Reddit the other day entitled: “I am the guy with two penises.” It was written by a very sexually active man...
Myth vs Fact
January 3, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that feet are by far the most common fetish object, a pattern of behavior known scientifically as podophilia. However, outside of clinical settings, relatively little is known...
Kink & BDSM
January 1, 2014 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to lesbian sex, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions. On the one hand, many people think lesbians are constantly “scissoring,” and on the other hand,...
LGBTQIA+
December 30, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
For my final post of the year, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the most read articles on The Psychology of Human Sexuality in...
Potpourri
December 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Navigating a “friends with benefits” (FWB) relationship is complicated. People sometimes start these relationships for different reasons, and they often have very different expectations for how the relationship will develop...
Dating & Relationships
December 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
So this is Christmas, and what have you done? In all likelihood, you’ve probably had some sex. Research has found that there are seasonal peaks in sexual activity, with one...
Sex Ed
December 23, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The Psychology of Human Sexuality is now two years old, and it has continued to grow and change in ways I never anticipated. I initially planned to update the blog...
Potpourri
December 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who is interested in becoming a sexologist.I have great...
Psychology, Sex Q&A
December 17, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Dr. Patricia Adler, who teaches a popular course on the topic of deviance at the University of Colorado, Boulder, was recently warned by university administrators that she must stop giving...
Psychology
December 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent survey of over 2,000 adult Americans revealed that, among smartphone users,1 in 10 reported having used their phone during sex. Naturally, this made me curious about what people...
Sex Ed
December 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
It is an unfortunate reality, but not all marriages last. In fact, research in the United States finds that newlywed couples have only a 50-50 chance of their marriage lasting...
Dating & Relationships
December 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
As we head into the holiday season, many of you will be buying gifts for children. Some of you will undoubtedly question whether the toy you've selected is gender appropriate....
Potpourri
December 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Can’t decide what to buy for all of those sexy people in your life this holiday season? Tired of giving lingerie and skimpy underwear year after year? Let me make...
Potpourri
December 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who was curious about the phenomenon of exercise-induced orgasm...
Sex Q&A
December 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Results from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3) were just released and they give a fascinating glimpse into the sex lives of the British population. Also,...
Sex Ed
December 2, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a growing body of evidence that what heterosexual women find attractive in men varies across the menstrual cycle. Specifically, when women are at their most fertile (i.e., when...
Sex Ed
November 29, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that sexual fantasies are common for people of all genders and sexual orientations. However, there is a lot of variability in what people fantasize about. As some...
Fantasies
November 28, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
I know there is a lot to be thankful for today, but let’s not forget to be thankful for sex! Scientists have found that sex is linked to a wide...
Potpourri
November 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The human papilloma virus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections today, and it is responsible for a wide range of health issues, including genital warts, as...
Myth vs Fact, Videos
November 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Erotic dreams are common. In fact, research has found that as many as 93% of men and 86% of women report having had them before [1]. Some people dream about...
Sex Ed
November 22, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Data from nationally representative U.S. surveys suggests that about 1 in 7 adults are living in sexless marriages, or relationships in which the spouses report having little to no sexual...
Dating & Relationships
November 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
This past weekend, I attended the annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). Although I have been a sex educator and researcher for quite some...
Psychology
November 18, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Much has been said and written about how many calories human beings burn during sexual activity. Physicians estimate that the average caloric expenditure during sex is probably a lot lower...
Sex Ed
November 15, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who often has sexual fantasies about someone other than...
Sex Q&A
November 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Explaining the evolutionary significance of the female orgasm has long been a conundrum for scientists. Why does the female orgasm exist if it is not necessary for reproduction to occur?...
Sex Ed
November 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
I have attended a lot of academic conferences over the years and I’ve almost always had the same thought after leaving each one: “What would make this conference even better?...
Psychology
November 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Prostitution is sometimes referred to as “the world’s oldest profession” because the sale of sex can be traced back to almost all cultures and societies in recorded history. However, the...
Sex Ed
November 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
"Is it true that men of certain races have bigger penises?" This is one of the most frequently asked questions I've encountered in all of my years teaching college level...
Sex Q&A
November 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
What’s the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the word “fetish?” For many of you, that word is probably “foot,” or perhaps something that is worn...
Kink & BDSM
November 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
People have a tendency to equate terms like “casual sex” and “sexual hookup” with “one-night stand.” However, this greatly oversimplifies that nature of casual sex in the modern world. The...
Sex Ed
October 30, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Despite the fact that sexual scientists have long considered the breasts and nipples to be among the human body's biggest erogenous zones, there has been surprisingly little research on the...
Gender, Sex Ed
October 28, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Compared to the United States, European nations tend to have more relaxed attitudes toward public nudity. Certainly, there’s a lot of variability across individual countries in terms of the type...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
October 23, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Much has been written in the popular media about hookups among college students; however, surprisingly little research has actually been conducted on this topic, particularly with regard to how young...
Sex Ed
October 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Our mood states and behaviors naturally vary over the course of the year. For example, some people experience Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of depression that usually kicks in during...
Sex Ed
October 18, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx video, Northwestern University psychology professor Eli Finkel explains how the nature of marriage has changed dramatically over the last few decades. In particular, people today have fewer...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
October 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
What is it like to work in the world of porn? I'm sure most of you could hazard a guess, but let's take a look at what the research says....
Sex Ed
October 14, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The title of a forthcoming article in the journal Personal Relationships recently caught my eye: “Sowing Wild Oats: Valuable Experience, or a Field Full of Weeds?” As a sex researcher,...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
October 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know what advice I would offer...
Sex Q&A
October 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Pubic hair removal is not a new practice among women. In fact, we have reason to believe that women have been removing at least some of their hair "down there"...
Sex Ed
October 7, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Death can come any time, any place…even in the bedroom. It’s rare, but people sometime die during sexual activity, including both masturbation and partnered sex. Most research on this topic...
Kink & BDSM
October 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether the quality of the...
Sex Q&A
September 30, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual difficulties are common. National survey data have found that as many as 43% of women and 31% of men in the United States report some type of sexual dysfunction,...
Sex Ed, Sex Tips
September 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
If you all will allow me a day off from sex talk, I’d like to share a personal story. I learned this week that one of my favorite professors from...
Psychology
September 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Have you ever wondered why people often use physical terms to describe the emotional pain they experience from breakup and other forms of social rejection? It turns out that the...
Dating & Relationships, Videos
September 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to penises, many people appear to subscribe to the belief that "bigger is better." We see this in the world of porn, which tends to glorify men...
Sex Ed
September 23, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In what is perhaps one of the most well-known psychology experiments of all time, a group of attractive research assistants were instructed to wander around a college campus and proposition...
Gender
September 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether sex truly is one...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Q&A
September 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study looking at the link between men’s testicular size and their parenting qualities has been making the rounds in the media lately, with provocative headlines ranging from “Choose...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
September 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
For the last several years, the popular media has been running story after story about college “hookup culture.” These articles argue that today’s youth are more sex-crazed than previous generations...
Myth vs Fact
September 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether there is any support...
Gender, Sex Q&A
September 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
We live in a world in which women are constantly reminded that their breasts are inadequate. From grossly proportioned Barbie dolls that bear little resemblance to the average woman's figure...
Sex Ed
September 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Evolutionary psychologists believe that men and women have evolved fundamentally different mating strategies in order to maximize the chances of passing along their genes to future generations. It is theorized...
Sex Ed
September 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether a guy can still...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
September 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Hate crimes are an all too common reality in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community. There have been countless instances in recent years in which GLBT persons have...
LGBTQIA+
September 2, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
For centuries, numerous religious, political, and medical figures have argued that masturbation is hazardous to one's health and can lead to a wide range of negative effects, including everything from...
Myth vs Fact
August 30, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
This week, the Swiss city of Zurich unveiled a novel ideal for making sex work safer: drive-in sex garages. The way it works is that the city is turning over...
Potpourri
August 26, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Numerous media reports have appeared recently suggesting that there has been an “explosion” of sexting behavior among adolescents, which is just the latest in a string of claims about the...
Sex Ed
August 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a common perception that people who practice bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, and masochism (BDSM) have major psychological issues. As some evidence of this, just take a look...
Myth vs Fact
August 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Paraphilia is the term that psychologists use to refer to an unusual sexual interest. Psychologists have documented hundreds of paraphilias over the years, including fetishism, sadomasochism, exhibitionism, and voyeurism. Paraphilias...
Kink & BDSM
August 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Sixty years ago today (August 20, 1953), the media first reported on the findings of Alfred Kinsey's classic book Sexual Behavior in the Human Female. It was the first book...
Media & Culture
August 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Although “safe sex” means different things to different people, the most common thing people associate with this term is the male condom. We have been told time and again by...
Sex Ed
August 14, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Sigmund Freud famously argued that human beings are "polymorphously perverse," meaning that we have the ability to develop sexual interest in virtually anything. Although Freud was wrong about a lot...
Kink & BDSM
August 12, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In a recent New York Times editorial, author Susan Jacoby laments the increasingly popularity of “sexting,” cybersex, and other such virtual connections. Jacoby argues that virtual sex lacks the sensuality...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
August 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Results from The Psychology of Human Sexuality’s second Reader Survey are in! Today, we will be taking a look at your views on the subject of consensual non-monogamy (i.e., relationships...
Potpourri
August 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from reader who wanted to know how many women have experienced anal...
Sex Q&A
August 7, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past two decades, psychologists have devoted significant research attention to understanding the origin and nature of prejudice against gays and lesbians. At the same time, prejudice against bisexuals...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
August 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Female sexual pleasure is a rare topic of discussion in sex education courses. One consequence of this is that the female orgasm is something that many people know far too...
Sex Ed
August 2, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common questions I get from students in my classes and readers of the blog concerns the average or typical penis size. Unfortunately, this is one of...
Sex Q&A
July 31, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that women attempt to enhance their attractiveness when they are ovulating, a finding that many scientists have argued is an evolved mechanism designed to increase their odds...
Sex Ed
July 29, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Decades of research in sexual health has revealed that people do not practice safe-sex consistently. Of course, part of the reason for this is because condoms are not always available...
Sex Ed
July 26, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a female reader who can’t reach orgasm in any sexual situation...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
July 26, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week, we're talking about the frequency of sexting, the effect of pheromones on sexual attraction,...
Sex Q&A
July 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
"Masturbation and nocturnal sex dreams to the point of orgasm are the activities which provide the best measure of a female's intrinsic sexuality.” –Alfred Kinsey (1953)Many people only associate terms...
Sex Ed
July 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Welcome to the new home of the Sex and Psychology blog! The entire site has been completely redesigned to provide the visual appeal befitting of a sex blog, but also...
Potpourri
July 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Although people almost universally agree that cheating is wrong, infidelity remains incredibly common. Although people almost universally agree that cheating is wrong, infidelity remains incredibly common. Most discussions about cheating...
Sex Ed
July 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
These days, you can’t help but notice that people are using their smartphones almost everywhere they go. People are on their phones at the dinner table, in the movie theater,...
Potpourri
July 17, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Being able to talk about sex with your partner is important. As I have discussed in previous articles, couples who communicate more in the bedroom (or wherever it is that...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
July 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
People of all genders and sexualities are increasingly turning to the Internet in order to find sex and love (or both). However, anyone who has ever experimented with online dating...
Dating & Relationships
July 15, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Welcome to the wonderful world of ex sex. It’s hot, it’s naughty…oh yeah, and it’s a really stupid idea. – Cosmopolitan Magazine Most articles I have seen on the topic...
Dating & Relationships
July 12, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether it is reasonable to...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
July 10, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently came across a journal article entitled Is Cunnilingus-Assisted Orgasm a Male Sperm-Retention Strategy? Naturally, I dropped everything I was doing and read it immediately--how could I not with...
Sex Ed
July 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Condoms are one of the most popular and effective methods of protection against both sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies. However, in order to provide this protection, condoms must be...
Sex Ed
July 8, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the reasons I started this blog is because I saw too many media reports about sex research that were sensationalized, misleading, and (in some cases) just plain wrong....
Media & Culture
July 5, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a female reader whose boyfriend seems to lose sexual interest in...
Sex Q&A
July 3, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Most research on men's sexual behaviors describes guys as either men who have sex with women (MSW) or men who have sex with men (MSM). Rather than treating bisexual men...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
July 2, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
I founded The Psychology of Human Sexuality one and a half years ago in order to share the science of sex, love, and relationships in a way that is both...
Potpourri
July 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Premature ejaculation is one of the most common sexual problems reported by men. In fact, about one-third of men aged 18-59 report that they often climax before they would like...
Sex Tips
June 28, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the topic of...
Sex Q&A
June 26, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
What does it mean to be "abstinent?" It depends who you ask. A recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior finds that there is incredible variability in people's...
Sex Ed
June 24, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
If you’re anything like me, you have probably heard over and over that women reach their sexual peak in their 30s, quite a bit later than men. Naturally, I have...
Sex Ed
June 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In my experience as a sex educator, the female orgasm has generated far more questions than any other topic. “Why do some women have an easier time reaching orgasm than...
Sex Ed
June 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Fake orgasms are a common topic of discussion in the popular media, from television (e.g., Seinfeld, Sex and the City) to film (e.g., When Harry Met Sally). So just how...
Sex Ed
June 17, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Media reports tend to suggest that men and women are polar opposites when it comes to romantic attraction. Many news articles boil the difference down to “men care about looks,...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
June 14, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about asexuals, or persons...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
June 12, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to prostitution, women are much more likely than men to enter the profession. As a result, most research in this area has tended to focus on female...
Sex Ed
June 10, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is the “bible” that psychiatrists and psychologists in the United States use for diagnosing mental health problems. Just a few days...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Tips
June 7, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Gallup recently conducted their annual Values and Beliefs survey and discovered that Americans’ views on sexual morality have shifted significantly in the last dozen years, with particularly notable changes in...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
June 5, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
How are Americans "getting busy" these days? Check out the infographic below to learn what a nationally representative sample of men and women reported doing during their most recent sexual...
Gender, Sex Ed
June 3, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
“Ain't it funny, ain't it strange the way a man's opinions change when he starts to face that lonely night.” – Lyrics from the song “Don’t the Girls All Get...
Dating & Relationships
May 31, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether it is possible for...
Sex Q&A
May 29, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Despite the fact that birth control has become widespread over the past few decades, many controversies and misunderstandings persist. One area where much confusion remains is the topic of emergency...
Myth vs Fact, Videos
May 28, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Many of us are curious about the traits and characteristics of people who appear in porn and whether porn stars are as psychologically healthy as the rest of the population....
Sex Ed
May 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a big “orgasm gap” between the sexes, such that men are much more likely to reach orgasm than are women in a given heterosexual encounter. However, the size...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
May 24, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether there’s any truth to...
Sex Q&A
May 23, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
"Nothing fascinates male human beings like guns and sex, so you must see the huge potential this has."Yesterday, I posted a story about the Origami condom, an innovation in condom...
Potpourri
May 22, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
"We have a product that is safe and effective, but underutilized. What if we could develop a condom that would provide all the benefit of our current versions, without the...
Potpourri, Sex Tips
May 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
What do "friends with benefits" do beneath the sheets? And do they ever want more than just casual, "no strings attached" sex? Check out the infographic below for the answers....
Sex Ed
May 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The buzz on the Internet last week was the story of a Swedish man who supposedly died after having sex with a hornets’ nest. According to various media reports, the...
Kink & BDSM
May 17, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know the best sexual position for...
Sex Q&A
May 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Just last month, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced that Plan B One-Step (a form of emergency contraception) had been approved for sale over the counter to women...
Sex Ed
May 15, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Same-sex behavior has long been a conundrum for evolutionary psychologists. From an evolutionary standpoint, a trait cannot evolve unless it is linked to reproductive success (i.e., it has to help...
LGBTQIA+
May 14, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
To date, most research on prostitution has focused on describing and understanding those who are selling sex. But what do we know about the buyers? Check out the infographic below...
Sex Ed
May 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In a recent piece on Salon entitled “My Virginity Mistake,” author Jessica Ciencin Henriquez talks about how an abstinence pledge ruined her marriage. In her words: “Without having sex before...
Media & Culture
May 10, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether it is common for...
LGBTQIA+
May 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Kinsey Reporter is a new smartphone app that lets people around the world anonymously record the details of their sex lives any time, any place. This app is available for...
Sex Ed
May 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
The Internet exploded today with stories about an incredibly dangerous “sex superbug” at our doorstep. Some of the more provocative headlines included “Sex superbug could be ‘worse than AIDS’” (CNBC)...
Media & Culture
May 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common concerns men have about their bodies is the size of their penis. Research indicates that 35% of gay men1 and 45% of heterosexual men2 say...
Sex Tips
May 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) entitled “How often should married couples have sex? What happens when he says ‘more’ and she says ‘no?” caused quite a...
Media & Culture, Sex Tips
April 29, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Many psychologists believe that jealousy has evolutionary roots. The theory is that heterosexual men evolved a tendency to worry about their partner being sexually unfaithful because they want to avoid...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
April 26, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether faking orgasms is something...
Sex Ed
April 22, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
How many people in the United States identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgendered (LGBT)? A recent Gallup poll that received a lot of media attention put the overall number...
LGBTQIA+
April 19, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether substance use can lead...
Sex Q&A
April 17, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past two decades, sexual content in the movies and on television has become more explicit than ever before. These graphic depictions of sex have become a source of...
Sex Ed
April 12, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study examining women’s perceptions of penis size has been making the rounds in the media lately with headlines ranging from “Science Proves Women Like Men with Bigger Penises,”...
Media & Culture
April 8, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
It is a widely held belief that people in sexually monogamous relationships are happier and healthier than their non-monogamous counterparts. For instance, when asked to describe the benefits of monogamy,...
Sex Ed
April 3, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A fascinating case study entitled “Penile Incarceration Secondary to Masturbation with a Steel Pipe” was recently published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior. Based on the title alone, I knew...
Kink & BDSM
April 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Research has found that when heterosexual men are around an attractive woman, they experience a natural increase in testosterone and, sometimes, become more prone to engaging in physically risky behaviors....
Dating & Relationships
March 29, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every so often, I come across a news story that makes me cringe…and then laugh a little. Lately, virtually all of those stories have centered around women placing highly unusual...
Potpourri
March 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Research across various animal species suggests that early caregiving experiences shape patterns of sexual attraction later in life. For instance, if you ever took an Introductory Psychology course, you probably...
Dating & Relationships
March 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Our sense of smell has long been known to play an important role in sexual attraction. Indeed, the multi-billion dollar perfume, cologne, and deodorant industries are founded on the premise...
Sex Ed
March 22, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know why some women enjoy deep...
Sex Q&A
March 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
According to some of the most popular dating advice books, one of the keys to attracting a romantic partner is to take the somewhat counterintuitive step of pretending like you...
Dating & Relationships
March 18, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Relationship scientists have known for decades that married people are healthier and live longer lives than their single counterparts.1 However, virtually all of the research conducted to date has focused...
LGBTQIA+
March 15, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
On this week’s edition of Sex Question Friday, we’re counting down the five most read articles in which I provided answers to sex questions submitted by readers of the site....
Sex Q&A
March 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
It is a widely held belief that anal sex is “gay sex.” In other words, people tend to assume that anal sex is an activity practiced almost exclusively by gay...
Sex Ed
March 8, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about whether it is...
Sex Q&A
March 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Everyone knows that penis size is one of men’s biggest concerns and that some men will do almost anything to try and increase the length and girth of their member,...
Kink & BDSM
March 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Cheating is common. For instance, among heterosexual married persons in the United States, research generally indicates that somewhere between one in four and one in five people report having cheated...
Dating & Relationships
March 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the relationship between...
Sex Q&A
February 27, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Although displaying your genitals in public is illegal in many parts of the world, a huge number of people have done it at one time or another. Countless men and...
Kink & BDSM
February 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
According to almost every teen-centered film or television show ever produced, losing your virginity is a big deal. A really big deal. But just how important is that one sexual...
Sex Ed
February 22, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
According to popular folklore, condoms were invented in the 18th century by the personal physician of King Charles II of England, who was supposedly named the “Earl of Condom.” However,...
Potpourri, Videos
February 20, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Popular media depictions suggest that heterosexual women and gay men are natural BFFs. In fact, almost any time you turn on the television, you can see this type of friendship...
Dating & Relationships
February 18, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Traditional gender roles dictate that men should be the primary breadwinners in heterosexual marriages. Throughout most of modern history, men have almost invariably brought home bigger paychecks than their wives;...
Gender
February 15, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Results of The Psychology of Human Sexuality’s first Reader Survey are in! Today, I will present the first round of results, focusing specifically on the associations between amount of Internet...
Potpourri
February 13, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every year on Valentine’s Day, radio stations put Barry White and other deep-voiced male musicians in heavy rotation with the hope of getting their listeners “in the mood.” This is...
Sex Ed
February 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Most condoms manufactured and distributed today consist of a “standard” length and width [1]. While the exact dimensions vary slightly across condom companies, there seems to be a widespread assumption...
Sex Ed
February 8, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know whether sex research can or...
Sex Q&A
February 6, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Historically, cohabitation (i.e., the act of an unmarried romantic couple living together) has been rare. In the modern world, however, it has almost become a precursor to marriage. In fact,...
Dating & Relationships
February 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study published in the American Sociological Review reports that when married couples divide household chores along gendered lines (i.e., with women doing more work inside the home, such...
Myth vs Fact
February 1, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the topic of...
Sex Ed
January 31, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
It’s a given that some amount of conflict will occur in any relationship. However, every couple deals with conflict in their own unique way, with some couples giving each other...
Potpourri
January 30, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Despite the fact that erections are often referred to as “boners,” there are no actual bones in the human penis. Of course, some animals have penile bones, including walruses, which...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
January 28, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common concerns people have about condoms is that they may reduce genital sensations, thereby making sexual intercourse less pleasurable. In fact, these fears about reduced sensitivity...
Sex Ed
January 25, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know: How long can a person...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
January 23, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In a recent online survey, a sample of 1,500 men were asked to identify the most common causes of erectile dysfunction (ED). Results indicated that 1 out of 3 guys...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Tips
January 21, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
“The penis is a very effective solution to a very basic biological problem.” – Diane KellyThere is amazing variation in penises throughout the animal kingdom. Some phalluses have multiple heads...
Potpourri, Videos
January 18, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
As much as we might wish otherwise, looks matter in the workplace, and this is true for both men and women. Indeed, your physical appearance can affect everything from your...
Sex Ed
January 16, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to making noise in the bedroom, some people prefer silence, while others prefer to wake the neighbors. Although the noisy type are more likely to be on...
Sex Ed
January 14, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
“The best therapy for a man suffering impotence…may be a therapist-supplied ‘other woman’ who embodies patience. Actual patience with a willing woman is crucial.” – Quote from the November 1,...
Psychology, Sex Ed
January 11, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a female reader who is frustrated by the fact that she...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
January 9, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
“Every time you sleep with someone, it’s like you’re having sex with all of their previous partners.” We’ve all heard something like this before, right? The basic idea is that...
Sex Ed
January 7, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study published in The Journal of Sex Research about the psychological effects of exposure to online pornography has been making the rounds in the media recently. A number...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
January 4, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
In the United States, reckless or intentional transmission of HIV is currently illegal in 34 states. Many of you probably think that such laws make intuitive sense--an HIV infection will...
Sex Ed
January 2, 2013 by Justin Lehmiller
Although most people are sexually active, it is surprising how little some people seem to know about sex. In particular, there are a multitude of myths and misconceptions about the...
Myth vs Fact
December 31, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
For my last post of the year, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at the most read articles on The Psychology of Human Sexuality in...
Potpourri
December 28, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Given the popularity of Twilight, True Blood, and all of the other vampire books and films out there, it would appear that a large segment of the population is intrigued...
Kink & BDSM
December 26, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Earlier this year, a study was released suggesting that children are better off when raised by heterosexual couples than by same-sex couples [1]. That study received widespread media attention, despite...
LGBTQIA+, Media & Culture
December 24, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
So this is Christmas, and what have you done? In all likelihood, you’ve probably had some sex. Research has found that there are seasonal peaks in sexual activity, with one...
Sex Ed
December 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The Psychology of Human Sexuality blog made its debut exactly one year ago today and has grown and changed in ways I could not even begin to imagine when it...
Potpourri
December 21, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wants to have a non-monogamous relationship but isn’t...
Sex Q&A
December 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
With the New Year approaching, people are starting to talk about their regrets from this past year and some of us are making resolutions to never make the same mistakes...
Gender
December 17, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Society views women who appear in pornographic films negatively. For instance, both male and female college students rate porn actresses as having more negative traits and characteristics than mainstream movie...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
December 14, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know why he wakes up with...
Sex Q&A
December 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Can’t decide what to buy for all of those sexy people in your life this holiday season? Tired of giving lingerie and novelty underwear year after year? Let me make...
Potpourri
December 10, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
One of the most common questions I get asked is whether too much sex or masturbation is bad for you. As I have written in previous posts, there is simply...
Sex Ed
December 7, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Some women have a more difficult time reaching orgasm than others during sexual intercourse. As a result, sexual scientists have begun looking for biological markers associated with a greater likelihood...
Sex Ed
December 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A new study published in The Journal of Sex Research has concluded that the sooner a couple starts having sex, the lower the quality of their relationship. Perhaps not surprisingly,...
Dating & Relationships
December 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Friends with benefits” (FWBs) are a popular type of sexual relationship these days, with several survey studies of college students finding that about half of them report having had one...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
December 3, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Contrary to popular belief, zoophilia does not mean a love of going to the zoo; rather, it refers to a true love of animals. And I mean love as in...
Kink & BDSM
December 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Last week, the Harvard College Munch became an official student organization on campus. The goal of this group is to provide a forum for students who are interested in “kinky”...
Media & Culture
November 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TED talk, author Mary Roach describes ten facts about orgasm. Although these facts are somewhat obscure and won’t necessarily impact your own sex life one way or another,...
Potpourri, Videos
November 28, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Although “sex” is a small word, it has quite a big meaning. Sexual behavior comprises a wide range of activities, and there is huge variation in the activities people practice...
Sex Ed
November 26, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
People magazine recently named Magic Mike star Channing Tatum “The Sexiest Man Alive.” Tatum joins the ranks of Hugh Jackman, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and George Clooney, all of whom...
Sex Ed
November 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wants to see his wife...
Sex Q&A
November 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I know you all are thankful for lots of things today, but let’s not forget to be thankful for sex! Research has found that sex offers numerous benefits, both physical...
Potpourri
November 21, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Gaydar refers to the ability to categorize people as gay or straight on the basis of indirect information (e.g., a person’s speech patterns or movement). Gaydar is used by people...
LGBTQIA+
November 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A flood of headlines has appeared over the past few days claiming that the hormone oxytocin may be the key to helping men with wandering eyes stay faithful to their...
Myth vs Fact
November 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wanted to know whether it...
Sex Q&A
November 14, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
What happens inside your brain and body during an orgasm? A whole lot. Orgasm in both men and women is a heck of a lot more than just a few...
Potpourri, Videos
November 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual scientists have long known that women have different routes to orgasm. Nearly a century ago, even Freud argued that women can either have clitoral or vaginal orgasms. Although some...
Sex Ed
November 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wanted to know more about...
Sex Q&A
November 7, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Contrary to the old saying “opposite attract,” you have probably noticed that romantic couples have a tendency to look more alike than they do different. But why is this the...
Dating & Relationships
November 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people involved in “friends with benefits” (FWB) relationships are hoping that their relationship will eventually turn into a full-fledged romance. For instance, in a recent Internet survey of FWBs,...
Dating & Relationships
November 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wanted to know why society...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Q&A
October 31, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time Halloween rolls around, people start telling stories about “Halloween sadism,” or the practice of providing trick-or-treaters with tainted treats. Parents are told to be on the lookout for...
Myth vs Fact
October 29, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
As I have discussed in past articles, much of what has been said during the recent “war on porn” is inaccurate. There is simply no evidence that consumption of pornography...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
October 26, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wanted to know whether there’s...
Sex Q&A
October 24, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Where is a good place to meet people?” I frequently get asked this question through my website and in the classes I teach. There isn’t a simple answer because there...
Dating & Relationships
October 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The fascinating world of “teledildonics” (i.e., sex toys that can be controlled remotely via a computer or smartphone) continues to grow in ways that many of us never thought possible....
Potpourri
October 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who was wondering whether the content...
Sex Q&A
October 17, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Do heterosexual women have an easier time reaching orgasm if their partner has a larger than average penis? For several decades, the answer reported in most sexuality textbooks has been...
Sex Ed
October 15, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“The shortest porn scenes require an absolute minimum of ‘half an hour of hard thrusting by a well-endowed young man. It's hard enough to deal with [without] condoms. Add latex...
Myth vs Fact
October 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasies are part of a normal and healthy sex life. The vast majority of people report fantasizing about sex at least occasionally, and more frequent sexual fantasizing is linked...
Fantasies
October 8, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Although the teenage birth rate has decreased in the United States in recent years, the percentage of teen girls giving birth is still higher here than anywhere else in the...
Sex Ed
October 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who was curious about why so...
Sex Q&A
October 3, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In the not too distant past, scientists could get away with almost anything because ethics boards did not yet exist and it was up to the researchers themselves to determine...
Psychology, Sex Ed
October 1, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
As you may have noticed, heterosexual men seem to have a certain fascination with women’s breasts. Society feeds into this by putting the female chest on display everywhere from Hooters...
Sex Ed
September 28, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There are countless myths and stereotypes about gays and lesbians spanning everything from their mannerisms to their sex lives to the nature of their relationships. In this article, I will...
LGBTQIA+, Myth vs Fact
September 26, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Conventional wisdom holds that thinking about sex makes us dumb. Sexual thoughts distract us and make us do stupid things, right? According to Fox News, which recently ran the headline...
Sex Ed
September 24, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past decade, scientists have conducted a boatload of studies correlating finger length ratios with psychological variables. Specifically, they have focused on the ratio of the index finger (the...
Sex Ed
September 21, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a college student who wanted to know about the potential sexual...
Sex Q&A
September 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Research from multiple countries around the world has found that men tend to place more emphasis on youth and beauty while women tend to emphasize status and resources in their...
Gender
September 17, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“A man who will kiss a pretty girl’s lips passionately may perhaps be disgusted at the idea of using her toothbrush, though there are no grounds for supposing that his...
Sex Ed
September 14, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
How are adolescent boys learning about sex these days? By pointing, clicking, and streaming through a seemingly endless supply of Internet pornography. That’s right, online porn is now the default...
Sex Ed
September 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There are several common stereotypes about the sex lives of gay men. One of the most prevalent is that anal sex is the primary (if not only) sexual activity that...
LGBTQIA+, Myth vs Fact
September 10, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Are couples who start having sex right away not as happy in the long run? A new study has found that heterosexual romantic partners who had sex within the first...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
September 7, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the site who wanted to know more about...
Sex Q&A
September 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The debate over male circumcision was revived last month with the publication of two controversial journal articles. First, the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine published an article concluding that...
Sex Ed
September 3, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“My ultimate fantasy is to have a threesome with a girl and a guy…but not with my boyfriend.” – Anonymous sexual fantasy submitted to The Psychology of Human SexualityThink about...
Sex Ed
August 31, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who is struggling with how to label her sexuality.I...
Sex Q&A
August 29, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Several decades ago, psychologist Dr. John Money advanced what has become known as “the theory of gender neutrality.” The basic idea was that, in terms of gender, everyone comes into...
Myth vs Fact
August 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual fantasies exist to serve many different functions, from enhancing sexual pleasure to expressing hidden desires (for a few fantasy examples, see A Top Ten List of Women’s Sexual Fantasies...
Sex Ed
August 24, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” – Todd Akin, Republican Senate Candidate from MissouriIf you’re anything like me,...
Sex Ed
August 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A recent study looking at the types of women that men are attracted to during times of stress made huge international news this month. Among the many headlines I came...
Media & Culture, Myth vs Fact
August 20, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A few months back, I posted an article about some promising new developments in birth control for men. These included the “testicular zap,” which involves performing a specialized ultrasound on...
Sex Ed
August 17, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week, we’re talking about fake orgasms. Students in my Human Sexuality course typically ask the...
Sex Q&A
August 15, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In this TEDx video, Gary Wilson discusses his view on how heavy use of online porn may be affecting men’s sex lives. As Wilson points out, accessing pornography through high...
Sex Ed
August 13, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
According to classic psychological learning theory, having a higher drive increases the probability of engaging in dominant (i.e., well-learned) behaviors; at the same time, the likelihood of engaging in non-dominant...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
August 10, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week, we’re talking about whether you can pick the sex of your baby by having...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Q&A
August 8, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Believe it or not, human beings have been making sex toys since the Stone Age. Dildos, Ben Wa balls, and various other devices to aid in sexual pleasure have a...
Potpourri
August 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Scientists who want to study what people find sexually arousing usually face a few major challenges. For one thing, simply asking people how aroused they feel in response to a...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
August 3, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question is a two-parter that comes from a male college student who was concerned...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
August 1, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
People around the world have long believed that certain foods are aphrodisiacs. Oysters, bananas, figs, cucumbers…the list goes on and on. But can eating any of these foods really increase...
Myth vs Fact
July 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently posted an article in which I concluded that “while it is indeed possible for both men and women to be bisexual, evidence from a variety of sources suggests...
Gender, LGBTQIA+
July 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time I tell someone what I do for a living, they take it as an opportunity to get some free sex and relationship advice. I don’t really mind because...
Sex Q&A
July 25, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
For centuries, governments have gone to great lengths to regulate people’s sex lives. As just a couple of prime examples, bans on contraception, sex before marriage, and same-sex activity were...
Potpourri
July 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Why don’t you like to be touched?” I whisper, staring up into soft gray eyes. “Because I’m fifty shades of f*cked up, Anastasia.” – Excerpt from Fifty Shades of Grey...
Sex Ed
July 20, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week, I’m answering two related questions that come up pretty regularly in my Human Sexuality...
Sex Q&A
July 18, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Researchers have known for years that parenthood has some predictable effects on heterosexual couples. Specifically, relationship satisfaction typically decreases [1] and sexual activity usually drops off markedly once kids enter...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Ed
July 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In 2009, the United States Food and Drug Administration made Plan B, a form of emergency contraception, available to anyone over the age of 17 without a prescription. To obtain...
Sex Ed
July 13, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s questions concern penis size, what men and women do after sex, and the record...
Sex Q&A
July 11, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force came out against the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. This test has been widely used for years as a way of screening male...
Media & Culture
July 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There has been a lot of controversy over college-level Human Sexuality courses lately. For instance, a student at Western Nevada College just filed a lawsuit against her school and instructor...
Psychology
July 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a college student who wanted to know why her boyfriend starts...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
July 4, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sex surveys have been controversial ever since the pioneering work of Alfred Kinsey in the 1940s and 50s. There has been a persistent concern that asking people questions about sex...
Psychology, Sex Ed
July 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A recurring theme in many television shows and movies is that secret relationships are hot. Couples that sneak around together seem to find it pretty exciting—they can’t stop thinking about...
Dating & Relationships
June 29, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a college student who wanted to know whether having a sexually...
Sex Q&A, Sex Tips
June 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
As discussed in previous blog posts, a number of unusual sexual behaviors have been documented in human beings, from cutting a hole in one’s pants in order to masturbate easily...
Kink & BDSM, Potpourri
June 25, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual scientists have long believed that testosterone plays an important role in generating sexual desire. Just consult any Human Sexuality textbook and you’ll likely find a lengthy section talking about...
Gender, Sex Ed
June 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I heard a fascinating edition of NPR’s On Point this week about how the bacteria that colonize our bodies impact our health, influencing everything from digestion to immune functioning (you...
Sex Ed
June 20, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There was a recent media frenzy about a new study suggesting that the hormone oxytocin may improve male sexual desire and functioning. Among some of the more provocative headlines I...
Media & Culture
June 18, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
When someone watches pornography, what is it that first captures their attention? Most people would probably guess the actors’ bodies and/or genitals, especially if they’re talking about male porn viewers....
Gender, Sex Ed
June 15, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Over the past few years, I have asked students in my Human Sexuality course to tell me some of the most interesting pick-up lines they’ve ever heard. I have compiled...
Potpourri
June 13, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time a new study comes out comparing the outcomes of children raised by same-sex and heterosexual couples, it garners a huge amount of media attention. It doesn’t matter what...
LGBTQIA+, Media & Culture
June 11, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Everyone knows that pheromones exist in animals. For example, if you’ve ever been around a female dog while she’s in heat, you have probably seen and heard all of the...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
June 8, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a college student who wanted to know more about how many...
Sex Q&A
June 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Research has shown that men are more visually stimulated, while women are more literary; they’re turned on by words or erotic stories.” – Dr. Michael Krychman on Fifty Shades of...
Gender, Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
June 4, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
When you see someone attractive that you desperately want to meet, how do you break the ice? Many of us opt for a simple “hi” or “hello,” others offer a...
Dating & Relationships, Myth vs Fact
June 1, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who is having issues expressing physical intimacy...
Sex Q&A
May 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Men are masturbating 50 to 500% more than they would normally without Internet porn. So if a guy normally masturbated once a day, he might now be doing it two...
Myth vs Fact
May 28, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A brand new addition to the blog is the Featured Book Series, in which I will review and analyze books relevant to human sexuality that I hope will be of...
Books & Films
May 25, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week’s question comes from a reader of the blog who wanted to know...
Psychology, Sex Q&A
May 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently posted an article discussing how women tend to overestimate the effectiveness of condoms and birth control pills. Even though these contraceptive devices aren’t quite as effective as we...
Potpourri
May 21, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Most heterosexual couples assume that if they’re using “the pill” or condoms to prevent pregnancy, they probably don’t have much to worry about because these forms of contraception are highly...
Sex Ed
May 18, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about whether there’s any truth to the old saying that...
Sex Q&A
May 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
You don’t have to be a relationship expert to know that intimacy is one of the cornerstones of a successful long-term partnership. Couple members who make a sincere attempt to...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
May 14, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Everyone was talking about same-sex marriage last week. First, voters in North Carolina approved a constitutional amendment banning legal recognition of same-sex relationships. Just a day later, even bigger news...
LGBTQIA+
May 11, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A few weeks back, I posted an article about how men’s and women’s sexual fantasies differ. As I mentioned in that piece, women’s fantasies typically contain a fair amount of...
Fantasies
May 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Most of us have attended weddings before where the couple getting married explicitly promised to love each other “till death do us part.” And if you’re anything like me, you...
Dating & Relationships
May 7, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Paraphilias are one of the most fascinating topics in the field of human sexuality. In case you are not familiar with the term paraphilia, it refers to any unusual form...
Kink & BDSM, Potpourri
May 4, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about bisexuality. Many students have asked me whether it is...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
May 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Sexual scientists do not agree on why the female orgasm exists. Most of the theories that have been offered to date suggest that the ability of women to climax during...
Sex Ed
April 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A few years back, a journal article entitled Teaching May Be Hazardous to Your Marriage was published.1 This article reported a study showing that men who teach at the high...
Dating & Relationships
April 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about fetishes. Fetishes refer to cases where an individual’s sexual...
Kink & BDSM, Sex Q&A
April 25, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The use of scantily clad women to sell products is a popular strategy among advertisers hocking everything from beer to floral arrangements to spicy BBQ burgers (click here for just...
Sex Ed
April 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Many people are involved in romantic relationships that are not accepted by their family, friends, or society at large. Sometimes it is because the partners are of the same sex,...
Dating & Relationships
April 20, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week’s question hits on a topic many people are curious about: the origin...
LGBTQIA+, Sex Q&A
April 18, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Yes, you read that headline right. Last year, the president elect of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Lazar Greenfield, resigned from his position after penning a controversial Valentine’s Day...
Sex Ed
April 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a classic study in psychology which reported that heterosexual men who viewed Playboy centerfolds were less in love with their wives than men who viewed artistic paintings [1]....
Dating & Relationships
April 13, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer readers' sex questions. This week, we’re talking about contraception. As you know, there are many forms of birth control available for women: the...
Sex Q&A
April 11, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Makes me feel so fine, helps me relieve my mind, sexual healing baby, it’s good for me. – Marvin GayeThe idea that sex can relieve stress for couples is pervasive...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
April 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The idea that homophobia stems from fears of one’s own homosexuality has received a lot of public validation in recent years. From evangelical preacher Ted Haggard to former U.S. Senator...
LGBTQIA+
April 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week’s question is one that I have heard several times over the last...
Sex Q&A
April 4, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
It was recently reported that a Dutch social psychologist, Diederik Stapel, published at least 30 papers in reputable scientific journals based on data he had completely faked. The full scope...
Psychology
April 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A group of psychologists recently published a paper in which they critically examined the science behind online dating in order to answer two questions: How is online dating different from...
Dating & Relationships
March 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently posted an article about how men’s and women’s sexual fantasies differ. As I mentioned in that piece, men’s fantasies tend to be sexually explicit, frequently include multiple partners,...
Fantasies
March 28, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
I make it a point to keep up with the latest sex and relationships news but, unfortunately, I find that a lot of the media reports on these topics are...
Media & Culture
March 26, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a growing body of research indicating that women’s sexuality changes as they near ovulation. For example, ovulating women tend to dress in sexier clothes and reveal more skin...
Sex Ed
March 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about whether the G-spot is real, the...
Sex Q&A
March 21, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Friends with Benefits” (FWBs) are usually thought of as relationships in which two good friends decide to become sexually involved. This is how they are most often depicted in the...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
March 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
"America is suffering a pandemic of harm from pornography. A wealth of research is now available demonstrating that pornography causes profound brain changes in both children and adults, resulting in...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
March 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re talking about whether married couples have better sex...
Sex Q&A
March 14, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Any reputable scientific journal utilizes a peer-review process, in which each manuscript received is sent to a small group of experts to evaluate the work and determine whether it merits...
Psychology
March 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The hymen is a membrane that partially covers the vaginal opening and is thought be break during a woman’s first attempt at intercourse. An intact hymen is therefore often presumed...
Sex Ed
March 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re going to talk about whether it’s possible to...
Sex Q&A
March 7, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
You may or may not realize this, but Amazon.com is quickly becoming the world’s largest online sex store, carrying a huge and incredibly diverse selection of sex-related products. For instance,...
Potpourri
March 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In the not too distant past, circumcision (i.e., surgical removal of the foreskin from a penis) was a routine procedure performed on virtually all infant boys in the United States....
Sex Ed
March 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re going to talk about how long it takes...
Sex Q&A
February 29, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
A few weeks back, I posted a Top 10 List of Sexual Fantasies, which contained a set of fun fantasies people have anonymously submitted to me over the years. As...
Gender, Sex Ed
February 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
When people talk about love, they often talk about “two hearts beating as one.” I tend to roll my eyes when I hear clichés like this because, in my training...
Dating & Relationships
February 24, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re going to talk about whether people really can...
Sex Q&A
February 22, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Most societies throughout the world promote monogamy as the ideal relationship state. As a result, a large majority of people have come to believe that any form of sexual activity...
Dating & Relationships
February 20, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Ever since the Internet arrived in our homes, people have been using it as a tool for making love connections. In fact, research indicates that about one in five heterosexual...
Dating & Relationships, Myth vs Fact
February 17, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
In lieu of answering sex questions this Friday, I’m posting a Top 10 list of sexual fantasies that people have anonymously submitted to me over the years. It’s sort of...
Fantasies
February 15, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Conventional wisdom tells us that women tend to be “choosier” than men when it comes to selecting sexual and romantic partners, and there is plenty of scientific evidence to back...
Gender
February 13, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every day, we are bombarded with messages telling us that “bigger is better” when it comes to breasts and penises. From top-heavy Barbie dolls and female celebrities with gargantuan chests...
Gender, Sex Ed
February 10, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every Friday on the blog, I answer a few burning sex questions submitted to me by actual college students. This week, we’re going to talk about why some people mix...
Sex Q&A
February 8, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
It was recently reported in several media outlets that an HIV-positive Texas man was sentenced to 35-years in prison for spitting at a police officer. The reason? Prosecutors argued that...
Myth vs Fact
February 6, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Several studies have found that, while some women experience orgasms from vaginal penetration alone, others do not [1]. What exactly accounts for this difference? Some research suggests that one of...
Sex Ed
February 3, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every time I teach a Human Sexuality course, I give my students the opportunity to anonymously submit any questions they have about sex. Over the years, I've seen a lot...
Sex Q&A
January 30, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Psychologists have known for some time that people’s mood states and behaviors can change with the seasons. For instance, some people experience what is known as Seasonal Affective Disorder, a...
Dating & Relationships, Sex Ed
January 27, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
There is a large amount of research showing that commitment to a romantic partner depends upon how many investments have been put into that relationship [1]. Investments is very broad...
Dating & Relationships, LGBTQIA+
January 25, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
The stereotypical picture of a heterosexual couple post-coitus depicts a frustrated woman who wants to talk and cuddle staring at a sleeping (and usually snoring) man. Such tension between the...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
January 23, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Premature ejaculation is the most commonly reported sexual difficulty among men. In fact, more than one in five guys reaches orgasm before they (or their partners) would like [1]. Although...
Sex Tips
January 19, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
When it comes to sex and relationships, the popular media loves to discuss these topics in terms of statistical averages. For example, what is the average number of time couples...
Myth vs Fact
January 16, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Every semester, students in my Human Sexuality course ask me what percentage of the population is gay or lesbian. Before answering this question, I usually give the class an opportunity...
LGBTQIA+
January 12, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Masturbation: the primary sexual activity of mankind. In the nineteenth century it was a disease; in the twentieth it's a cure.” – Thomas SzaszOne of the most common sexual topics...
Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
January 9, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
Research indicates that most women have faked an orgasm at least once in their lives [1]. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most of you, given how frequently...
Sex Ed
January 5, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“Friends with Benefits” (FWB) relationships seem to be all the rage these days. Several recent studies of college students have reliably found that over one half of the students surveyed...
Dating & Relationships, Gender
January 2, 2012 by Justin Lehmiller
“I’m not even sure bisexuality exists. I think it’s just a layover on the way to gaytown.”– Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and the City)Many of you are probably familiar with the...
LGBTQIA+, Myth vs Fact, Sex Ed
December 27, 2011 by Justin Lehmiller
Researchers have known for years that marriage seems to give straight men a long-term health boost. For example, just consider that unmarried heterosexual men have a 250% greater mortality risk...
LGBTQIA+
December 22, 2011 by Justin Lehmiller
I recently read an article entitled Teen Sex May Affect Brain Development, which suggested that sexually active adolescents may have an elevated risk of mood disorders compared to their peers...
Media & Culture
December 21, 2011 by Justin Lehmiller
"American women as a whole have never been confronted with such a radically shrinking pool of what are traditionally considered to be ‘marriageable’ men—those who are better educated and earn...
Gender
