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 and non-binary people’s experiences with porn are like, whether pornography is negatively impacting teenagers, and what even counts as porn. Lately, research has begun to...
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
