Sex Question Friday: Is Deeper Penetration Better?

Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know why some women enjoy deep penetration during vaginal intercourse more than others.

Why is deeper better for a lot of women when the most sensitive parts of the vagina are on the outside and close to the labia and clitoris?

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Does Playing Hard To Get Pay Off?

According to some of the most popular dating advice books, one of the keys to attracting a romantic partner is to take the somewhat counterintuitive step of pretending like you aren’t interested in the other person. But does this tactic really work? Can “playing hard to get” really help you score a date? According to a new set of studies published in the European Journal of Personality, it would appear so.

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Same-Sex Marriage Is Good For Gay and Lesbian Health

Relationship scientists have known for decades that married people are healthier and live longer lives than their single counterparts.¹ However, virtually all of the research conducted to date has focused exclusively on the health benefits associated with heterosexual marriage. Given that more and more countries have started extending marriage rights to same-sex couples, has there been any effect on the health of gays and lesbians? Two recent studies suggest that there have been some positive changes.

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Sex Question Friday: The 5 Most Popular Questions On The Psychology Of Human Sexuality

On this week’s edition of Sex Question Friday, we’re counting down the five most read articles in which I provided answers to sex questions submitted by readers of the site. As you will see, there is a common theme uniting all of these questions: “What’s normal when it comes to sex?”

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How Many Straight People Are Having “Gay Sex?”

It is a widely held belief that anal sex is “gay sex.” In other words, people tend to assume that anal sex is an activity practiced almost exclusively by gay men. However, this is not an accurate reflection of reality. In fact, research suggests that not only has anal sex become increasingly common among heterosexual men and women, but the vast majority of people who practice it are not gay.

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How Darwin Can Save Your Marriage (VIDEO)

In this Big Think video, psychologist Christopher Ryan discusses how we live in a world that upholds sexual monogamy and fidelity as relationship ideals; however, this sharply conflicts with what he believes is a natural human tendency toward non-monogamy. Ryan talks about how human beings are programmed to be "titillated" by that which is new and how our need for sexual novelty goes unmet in completely monogamous relationships.

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Sex Question Friday: Are Multiple Orgasms A Myth?

Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about whether it is truly possible for women to have several orgasms in a row.

Can a woman really orgasm over 20 times in a sexual encounter, or is she just lying?

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Strange Sex: The Unusual Practice of Scrotal “Inflation”

Everyone knows that penis size is one of men’s biggest concerns and that some men will do almost anything to try and increase the length and girth of their member, from “natural male enhancement,” to vacuum pumps, to experimental surgeries and fat injections. However, what you may not know is that some men are more concerned about the size of their scrotum, which has resulted in a new and growing practice known as scrotal inflation (sometimes referred to as scrotal infusion). All I can say is don't try this at home, or anywhere else for that matter.

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How Do You Define Cheating?

Cheating is common. For instance, among heterosexual married persons in the United States, research generally indicates that somewhere between one in four and one in five people report having cheated on their partner previously.¹ However, estimates of cheating prevalence can vary widely across studies depending upon how “infidelity” is defined. It turns out that not everyone perceives the same actions in the same way. As some evidence of this, let’s examine the results of a new study in which people were asked to determine what they think constitutes cheating in a relationship.

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Sex Question Friday: What’s The Difference Between Clitoral And G-Spot Orgasms?

Every Friday on the blog, I answer people’s questions about sex, love, and relationships. This week’s question comes from a reader who wanted to know more about the relationship between G-Spot and clitoral orgasms.

I know that some women can only experience clitoral orgasm but not G Spot orgasm. I was curious to know if there are many cases of women who are able to have G Spot orgasms but are incapable of orgasming through clitoral stimulation. I'm sure there are a few cases but are these the exception to the rule or is it quite variable?

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Are You An Exhibitionist?

Although displaying your genitals in public is illegal in many parts of the world, a huge number of people have done it at one time or another. Countless men and women have flashed each other at Mardi Gras celebrations, and many a college fraternity and sorority have gone streaking across campus. So does this mean that the world is full of exhibitionists? Not exactly. Behaviors like this are usually fueled by alcohol and a temporary loosening of one’s inhibitions. The true exhibitionist (in the clinical sense) doesn’t require any “liquid courage” and doesn’t get naked as part of an organized social event or in a situation in which public nudity is accepted. Instead, psychologists reserve the term “exhibitionist” for persons who engage in socially inappropriate nudity for the sole purpose of sexual arousal.

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Is Your First Sexual Experience The Most Important?

According to almost every teen-centered film or television show ever produced, losing your virginity is a big deal. A really big deal. But just how important is that one sexual event when the reality is that sexually active people may have sex hundreds if not thousands of times during their entire lives? A new study published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy suggests that your first sexual experience can potentially set the tone of your sex life for years to come.

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The History Of Condoms (VIDEO)

According to popular folklore, condoms were invented in the 18th century by the personal physician of King Charles II of England, who was supposedly named the “Earl of Condom.” However, there is no evidence that an Earl of this name ever existed and it turns out that the world’s first condoms can actually be traced back to the ancient Egyptians, who created penile sheaths made of linen to prevent pregnancy and venereal disease. Indeed, as you’ll learn in the video below (entitled The History of Condoms), our use of prophylactics actually has a very long and quite complicated history.

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Why Do Straight Women And Gay Men Get Along So Well? They Exchange Good Sex Advice

Heterosexual women and gay men are seemingly natural BFFs. As some evidence of this, almost any time you turn on the television, you can see this type of friendship on display, whether it is a scripted sitcom such as Will and Grace or a reality show like The Real Housewives. How do we explain this common social pairing? A new set of studies suggests that both parties find this type of friendship advantageous because it offers a free exchange of unbiased sex and relationship advice from a trustworthy source.¹

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Men Who Earn Less Money Than Their Wives Are More Likely To Use Viagra

Traditional gender roles dictate that men should be the primary breadwinners in heterosexual marriages. Throughout most of modern history, men have almost invariably brought home bigger paychecks than their wives; however, this has changed in recent years. In fact, more than one in five heterosexual married couples in the United States today features a wife who earns more than her husband.¹ As a result, scientists have been wondering what, if any, psychological implications there might be for men who suddenly find themselves out-earned by their wives. A new study published in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin argues that there may be sexual costs for such men.² However, before you go making too much of the findings, you’ll want to take a closer look at the data.

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