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,” which was a nod to our conference location being held in the first city to decriminalize psilocybin and the first state to legalize recreational marijuana....
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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 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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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
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
