In a post from Psychology Today, sex educator and therapist Niki Davis-Fainbloom explains how sexual fetishes develop. Some may come from repeated exposure to ordinary objects in contexts where they are connected with sexually alluring figures (classical Pavlovian conditioning), but often they emerge out of a single first-time sexual experience that is particularly exciting when […]
Non-Monogamy is Healthy
As we have noted before in Hard Copy News, monogamy does not produce greater relationship satisfaction or intimacy than consensual non-monogamy. It also does not produce better sexual health. A new study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships establishes that polyamorous individuals are more likely to have themselves tested for sexually transmitted […]
A Good Top is Hard to Find
Understanding how men who have sex with men (MSM) identify with sexual role labels such as Top, Bottom, or Versatile offers descriptive insights into how sexuality, identity, and self-presentation of masculinity intersect on dating platforms. Drawing on cross-sectional data from 141,156 active users of the global gay dating app Surge, a new study describes age-based […]
Sexual Synesthesia
Synesthesia is a neurological condition that causes the senses to link and merge. People with this condition may hear colors or taste words and more than 4% of people have some form of synesthesia. People who experience sexual synesthesia, or sexual synesthetes, may have involuntary visions of color, shapes, patterns, or even full-blown scenes when […]
Students Shedding Pubic Hair
Researchers from Indiana University studied a total of 3,139 students (about evenly divided between males and females), who completed the online Campus Sexual Health Survey, to assess their habits of genital grooming. Over 97% of students had shaved or trimmed pubic hair at some point in their life, with an average starting age of 15.5 years. […]
Broadening Our View of Autoeroticism
Sexual self-stimulation takes more forms than just stroking one’s genitals, as a recent weighted sample of 3,423 American adults shows. Some people arouse themselves by reading erotica or touching different parts of their body, or merely through personal fantasies; orgasm can also be induced by “syntribation,” which involves flexing pelvic or thigh muscles. Although little […]
Study: Mental Health Disparities Among Sexual Minorities Are Due to Family Background, Not Stigma
Compared with the heterosexual population, LGBT people today score lower on key mental health indices. Current scholarship relies on Sexual Minority Stress Theory (SMST) to explain the disparity as resulting from stigma and discrimination. Historically informed scholars question this approach, pointing to the ground-breaking work of UCLA psychologist Evelyn Hooker, who showed in the 1950s […]
Most Penis Size Obsession is Psychological
Physicians express concern about the growing popularity of penis enlargement procedures, which, despite the enthusiastic claims of some practitioners, the relevant professional societies regard as “experimental” due to the lack of sufficient safety and efficacy data. An opinion piece published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine recommends careful psychological screening of patients prior to receiving […]
Sex Toy Education in Pornography
A team of three women from the University of New Brunswick has studied the use of sex toys in 100 mainstream heterosexual pornographic videos. They found that the toys (including vibrators, dildos, and butt plugs) are most frequently used by the male partner to enhance the pleasure of the female partner, but are often also […]
World Cup and Babies
Do major sporting events, such as this year’s World Cup, influence the sexual behavior of fans and cause a significant change in local birth rates and sex ratios? A review of 4 different studies indicates that the answer is “maybe”. These studies looked at birth rates and/or sex ratios in live births 9 months after […]