A study of 66 Turkish women in their 40s and 50s published in BMC Public Health showed that cataract surgery led to a significant improvement in their sexual desire, lubrication, and self-reported satisfaction (up around 17%); arousal and ability to reach orgasm improved by about a third, and feelings of pain or discomfort during sex […]
Bi-Negativity and Mental Health
As Hard Copy has noted before, bisexuals face unique mental health challenges that often exceed those of other sexual minority populations. It has long been known that bi-sexual men face negative judgments from both straight peers who question their masculinity and from gay peers who question their authenticity. A study of 200 self-identified cisgender bisexual […]
Countering the Myth of Monogamy-Superiority
A meta-analysis of 35 studies just published in the Journal of Sex Research shows that monogamous relationships do not yield greater sexual or relationship satisfaction than is experienced by non-monogamous individuals. Trust, commitment, and intimacy were equal among both monogamous and non-monogamous couples. This result was equally valid for LGBTQ and straight individuals. READ THE […]
Higher Mortality Rates for LGB+
Newly released census data from England and Wales reveals that people who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or another sexual minority group experience higher all-cause mortality than those who identify as heterosexual, and that the disparity is especially pronounced for those in the 25-34 age bracket. Alcohol-related deaths were 1.8 times higher among the LGB+ […]
Less Sex, More Divorce, and Other 2025 Intimacy Trends
Avi Wolfman-Arent and Cherri Gregg, hosts of Studio 2, a podcast on WHYY-FM out of Philadelphia, discuss sex and romance trends with guests: Debby, Lauren Harris, and Andrew Hatherley. In this episode they talk about the sex recession and why later-life divorce is trending upward. The sex recession is seeing less partnered sex and less […]
Bisexuals Score Lowest on Mental Health Indices
A new meta-analysis combining data from 28 studies suggests that sexual and gender minorities are not only at increased risk of mental health problems, but also have more difficulty in regulating their emotions. This is usually ascribed to “minority stress,” but that thesis is undercut by the finding that bisexuals experienced greater problems with emotional […]
New Study of Nonbinary
A growing number of young people today identify as “nonbinary,” but that identity has been little examined by researchers. Popular opinion tends to see “nonbinary” merely as a more tentative version of “trans.” However, it is quite distinct. A team of researchers from Bristol, UK, has undertaken qualitative interviews with 105 self-identified nonbinary persons recruited […]
Pencil Me the Fuck In!
Is there a world in which scheduling sex is sexy? A new study by researchers from York University in Ontario, Canada has found that doing so can actually lead to more sex, as well as less obligatory sex, reducing sexual subjects’ overall relationship anxiety. The study consisted of more than 500 participants from Canada, the […]
Synchronizing Visits from Aunt Flo
Most women have heard that when they are in close proximity with other women for long enough, their menstrual cycles will eventually sync up. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence supporting this and earlier studies some provided some evidence. But recent studies that have been “more rigorously designed” have “generally failed to show any […]
Study: Women Over 60 Like Sex Toys
Researchers affiliated with the Kinsey Institute have published a study of 3,001 women over the age of 60 in the journal Menopause, finding that a little less than half reported masturbating within the past year, and among those, 56.4% used sex toys, mostly vibrators or dildoes; 26.2% used them almost always or always. Sex toy […]