The Journal of Adolescent Health has recently published a systematic review of 80 studies measuring the benefits of Comprehensive Sex Education (CSE). In addition to reducing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, other benefits include better understanding of consent, healthy relationships, puberty and adolescent sexual development, gender expression, sexual orientation, and interpersonal violence. Pedagogical, curricular, classroom, […]
Size Really Does Matter
Why the human penis is unusually large compared to that of other primates is a long-standing evolutionary question. A group of Australian evolutionary biologists and psychologists have studied this question by using computer-generated images to assess female evaluation of male sexual attractiveness and males’ evaluation of a potential rival’s fighting ability and attractiveness to females. […]
New Study: Male Sexual Desire Peaks in Middle Age
A recent article in Scientific Reports utilizes detailed data from over 67,000 individuals in the Estonian Biobank to determine which demographic characteristics correlate with greater sexual desire in both men and women. Men reported higher sexual desire than women across most ages. Despite common perceptions that men are horniest when young, male desire actually appears […]
Cataract Surgery for Better Sex
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 […]