bims-chumac 2020-07-26 papers

Issue of 2020–07–26
three papers selected by
Jay Dixit, Storytelling.NYC

J Sex Med. 2020 Jul 18. pii: S1743-6095(20)30716-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction in Young, Heterosexual Couples: The Role of Sexual Frequency and Sexual Communication.

Rick Roels, Erick Janssen.

BACKGROUND: Although their individual contributions to sexual and relational outcomes are well-established, there has been a lack of research on the importance of sexual frequency and sexual communication to sexual and relationship satisfaction.
AIM: To examine the contribution of sexual frequency and sexual communication to sexual and relationship satisfaction in the early stages of couple relationships.
METHODS: A sample of 126 young, heterosexual couples (mean age = 23.3 years, SD = 2.4; average relationship duration = 1.9 years, SD = 0.9) filled out questionnaires about sexual frequency, sexual communication, and sexual and relationship satisfaction. Analyses were guided by the actor-partner interdependence model.
OUTCOMES: Main outcome variables were sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction, measured by the Quality of Sex Inventory and the Couple Satisfaction Index, respectively.
RESULTS: Analyses revealed a significant actor effect of both sexual communication and sexual frequency for sexual satisfaction. Only sexual communication, not sexual frequency, predicted relationship satisfaction. No significant partner or gender effects were found.
CLINICAL TRANSLATION: These findings lend support to the notion that couples could benefit from focusing on non-behavioral processes (eg, sexual communication), rather than sexual behavior per se, when pursuing a fulfilling partnership.
STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS: Strengths of the study include the dyadic nature of the data and analyses, allowing for the evaluation of both individual- and couple-level processes. Also, to our knowledge, this is the first study to specifically examine the importance of sexual frequency and sexual communication to both sexual and relationship satisfaction. Limitations include the reliance on self-report measures and a relatively homogeneous sample.
CONCLUSION: Although both sexual frequency and sexual communication were relevant to the prediction of sexual satisfaction, only sexual communication predicted relationship satisfaction in this sample of young, heterosexual couples. Roels R, Janssen E. Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction in Young, Heterosexual Couples: The Role of Sexual Frequency and Sexual Communication. J Sex Med 2020;XX:XXX-XXX.

Keywords: Relationship Satisfaction; Sexual Communication; Sexual Frequency; Sexual Satisfaction

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2020.06.013

Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2020 Jul 18. pii: nsaa093. [Epub ahead of print]

Body sway predicts romantic interest in speed dating.

Andrew Chang, Haley E Kragness, Wei Tsou, Dan J Bosnyak, Anja Thiede, Laurel J Trainor.

Social bonding is fundamental to human society, and romantic interest involves an important type of bonding. Speed dating research paradigms offer both high external validity and experimental control for studying romantic interest in real-world settings. While previous studies focused on the effect of social and personality factors on romantic interest, the role of nonverbal interaction has been little studied in initial romantic interest, despite being commonly viewed as a crucial factor. The present study investigated whether romantic interest can be (1) predicted by nonverbal dyadic interactive body sway, and (2) enhanced by movement-promoting ('groovy') background music. Participants' body sway trajectories were recorded during speed dating. Directional (predictive) body sway coupling, but not body sway similarity, predicted interest in a long-term relationship above and beyond rated physical attractiveness. In addition, presence of groovy background music promoted interest in meeting a dating partner again. Overall, we demonstrate that romantic interest is reflected by nonverbal body sway in dyads in a real-world dating setting. This novel approach could potentially be applied to investigate nonverbal aspects of social bonding in other dynamic interpersonal interactions such as between infants and parents and in nonverbal populations including those with communication disorders.

Keywords: Granger causality; groove; interpersonal interaction; mixed effect model; romantic interest

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsaa093

Arch Sex Behav. 2020 Jul 21.

With or Without You: Associations Between Frequency of Internet Pornography Use and Sexual Relationship Outcomes for (Non)Consensual (Non)Monogamous Individuals.

David L Rodrigues, Diniz Lopes, Kate Dawson, Richard de Visser, Aleksandar Štulhofer.

More frequent internet pornography use is often associated with decreased sexual satisfaction. However, individuals who use internet pornography more often can experience better relationship outcomes, depending on how they use it in the context of their relationship. Indeed, internet pornography use with the partner seems to be positively associated with sexual satisfaction. We explored whether the type of agreement partners have about monogamy is related to this association. We conducted a cross-sectional study (N = 866; 66.3% women, Mage = 27.40, SD = 8.58) with individuals in monogamous (n = 552), non-consensual non-monogamous (NCNM; n = 210) and consensually non-monogamous (CNM; n = 104) relationships. Results showed that CNM individuals used internet pornography substantially more than the other two groups, but they were as sexually satisfied with themselves and with their primary partner as monogamous individuals. NCNM individuals were the least sexually satisfied and reported more sexual arousal difficulties than the other groups. Results further showed that CNM individuals included their primary partner in their internet pornography use more frequently than the other groups, and this inclusion was positively associated with sexual satisfaction with the primary partner. The frequency of internet pornography use with the partner was negatively associated with sexual arousal difficulties for monogamous individuals and positively associated with personal and relational sexual satisfaction in both monogamous and NCNM individuals. These results complement past findings by shedding light on the role of internet pornography use for different relationship agreements, and its association with personal and relational experiences.

Keywords: Consensual non-monogamy; Internet pornography; Monogamy; Relationship agreements; Sexual satisfaction

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01782-z