There is no doubt that self-confidence and compassion are good things to possess. Now a new study said they may also lead to better sex. And that, without a doubt, is a very good thing to have.
The study, recently published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, is the first of its kind to link a healthy psychological outlook to sexual pleasure in young American adults.
An MSN.com article reported that researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore studied data from more than 3,200 men and women ages 18 to 26, analyzing the association between self-esteem, autonomy and empathy and three measures of sexual pleasure among those in established heterosexual relationships of longer than three months.
The study listed the three measures of sexual pleasure as regularity of orgasm, enjoyment of receiving oral sex and enjoyment of performing oral sex.
Fox News listed the study’s definition of autonomy as the strength to follow personal convictions even when they go against conventional wisdom, which usually increases as adolescents age and enter adulthood.
Also in the Fox News article, study researcher Adena Galinsky said, "how people interact and their ability to listen to each other and take each other's perspective can really influence the sex that they have. Self-esteem is a belief in one's self-worth, which also increases with age. Empathy is the ability to take another's perspective, to see things from their angle and understand and respond to their emotions.”
Fox also reported Galinsky as saying, "sexual health includes sexual well-being, and sexual enjoyment is an important part [of that].”
In the MSN.com report, Galinsky said, "I think the most important point is the association between empathy and sexual enjoyment and that it was consistent across the board between men and women.”
She went on to say in the MSN.com article, that while men seemed to require empathy alone to boost sexual satisfaction, women may need self-esteem and autonomy as well because of social norms related to sexuality.
The Daily Mail reported a surprising twist from the study results. Men were also more likely to enjoy giving oral sex to their partner more than women were reported to.
“The reality is that the majority of young men really like engaging in activities in which the goal is giving their partner pleasure," according to Galinsky.
The study was funded the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health.
Sources:
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/sexual-health/mens-sexual-health/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100273062>1=31028
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/brain-and-behavior/articles/2011/06/10/self-confidence-empathy-may-make-for-better-sex
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/06/09/key-to-better-sex-revealed-in-new-study/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2001551/Why-men-good-listeners-better-sex.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Reviewed June 13, 2011
Edited by Alison Stanton