The Psychology of Human Sexuality

Lusting, Loving, and Leaving is a column on Science of Relationships in which Dr. Justin J. Lehmiller explores the scientific basis of sexual attraction, committed relationships, and breakup.

In this column, Dr. Lehmiller dispels common myths and misconceptions about sexuality and relationships, as well as answers your questions on these topics by drawing upon the latest scientific research. Please use the Contact tab at the top of this page if you have a question you would like Dr. Lehmiller to address in a future column.

Each of Dr. Lehmiller's entries in Lusting, Loving, and Leaving appear below, sorted in order of newest to oldest.

• Are “Open” Relationships The Hotbed For STDs That Everyone Assumes?

• Are Attractive Women Perceived As Objects?

• Is Bigger Better? How Men Really Feel About Their Own Penises

• We’re Tired Of Drinking And Partying All The Time: Can We Settle Down Without Committing Social Suicide?

• Sex in Friendships, Friendship After Sex

• Interracial Marriage Has Reached An All-Time High, But Attitudes Toward It Are Still Evolving

• Are Single People Stigmatized by Society?

• Is Masturbation Bad For Your Health and Your Relationship? 

• Is Pornography to Blame For the High Divorce Rate?

• How Do Same-Sex Couples View Valentine’s Day?

• Do Internet Daters Lie In Their Personal Profiles? And Does It Help Them Succeed?

• Do Men Really Think About Sex Every Seven Seconds?

• Want to Get Lucky on Your Holiday Date? Skip the Mistletoe and Wear Red Instead

• Breasts are Best: Can Women Orgasm from Nipple Stimulation?

• We Fight All of the Time and Want Different Things: Can We Make it Work?

• Do Birth Control Pills Make Exotic Dancers Less “Titillating?”

• Do Birth Control Pills Really Lead to Bad Sex?

• I Always Thought I Was Straight, But Now I’m Not So Sure: Can Our Sexual Desires Change?  

• Cross-Dressing and Gender-Bending: Separating Science Fact from Fiction

• Knowledge Is Pleasure: Everything You Should Know About Female Orgasm

• Marriage and Divorce: A New Window to Weight Gain? 

• Fabulous Face or Banging Body: Which is a More Important Characteristic in a Lover?

• Faking Orgasms: Who Benefits More From a False Finish?

• Negging: Do Women Really Like Guys Who Treat Them Like Crap?

• Who Has the Busier Bedroom: Single People or Married Couples?

• Is the Unemployment Rate Tied to the Divorce Rate?

• Reparative Therapy: Can It Change Someone’s Sexual Orientation?

• What Constitutes Cheating Anyway?

• Will Same-Sex Marriage Reduce Equality in Gay Relationships?

• The 51-Year-Old Who Married The 16-Year-Old: Can Relationships With Large Age-Gaps Work?

• Why Do People Have Different Sexual Orientations?

• Reflections On Weinergate: What Do We Know About Cheating?

• Friends with Benefits: Are They as Complicated in Real Life as They are in the Movies?

• Why Do Some People Date Multiple Partners at the Same Time?

• How are Gay and Heterosexual Relationships Different?

• Who Fights More: Heterosexual Couples or Gay Couples?