Feature Channels: Sex and Relationships

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The “Love Hormone” Oxytocin, improves men’s ability to identify competitive relationships whereas in women it facilitates the ability to identify kinship, according to a recent study. “These findings coincide with the theory that claims the social-behavioral differences between men and women are caused by a combination of cultural as well as biological factors”, concluded Prof. Simone Shamay-Tsoory who led the research

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Homeless young women may be at greater risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than homeless young men because of the structure of their social groups and friendships, according to new research from UC San Francisco. The findings underscore how the social networks of homeless youth can be highly influential, affecting their participation in risky and protective behaviors.

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Women who are frequently encouraged by their significant others to lose weight are more likely to resort to unhealthy measures to do so, according to new research in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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Researchers looked at instances of infidelity occurring through Facebook interactions to develop a process model for the stages of coping with knowledge of the infidelity.

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UCLA researchers have measured how the brain behaves in so-called hypersexual people who have problems regulating their viewing of sexual images. The study found that the brain response of these individuals to sexual images was not related in any way to the severity of their hypersexuality but was instead tied only to their level of sexual desire.

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Fewer women are getting married and they’re waiting longer to tie the knot when they do decide to walk down the aisle. That’s according to a new Family Profile from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University.

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A researcher finds correlation between financial arguments, decreased relationship satisfaction.

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The most common thing that couples want from each other during a conflict is not an apology, but a willingness to relinquish power, according to a new Baylor University study.

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High doses of testosterone significantly improve sexual function among women who have had their uterus and ovaries surgically removed, a clinical study demonstrates. The results were presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society’s 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

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After laboring under other theories that never seemed to add up, McMaster University researchers have concluded that menopause is an unintended outcome of natural selection, generated by men's historical preference for younger mates.

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The cause of sexual dysfunction is thought to be pelvic floor muscle spasm, which affects voiding and fecal functions. Sacral neuromodulation has been advocated to relieve chronic bladder and/or bowel problems. Alleviating voiding dysfunction through sacral neuromodulation has been reported to subsequently improve female sexual function.

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College-aged women judge promiscuous female peers more negatively than more chaste women and view them as unsuitable for friendship, finds a study by Cornell University developmental psychologists.

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People will lie about their sexual behavior to match cultural expectations about how men or women should act – even though they wouldn’t distort other gender-related behaviors, new research suggests.

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Praying for a romantic partner or close friend can lead to more cooperative and forgiving behavior toward the partner, according to a new study co-authored by a Florida State University researcher.

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People who are unhappy in their romantic relationship spend more time during a disagreement thinking about how angry and frustrated they are, but happy couples coordinate their thoughts so that when one partner has many emotional thoughts, the other has few, according to a new study recently published online in the National Communication Association’s journal, Communication Monographs.

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Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and University of Washington scientists have identified a class of immune cells that reside long-term in the genital skin and mucosa and are believed to be responsible for suppressing recurring outbreaks of genital herpes. These immune cells also play a role in suppressing symptoms of genital herpes, which is why most sufferers of the disease are asymptomatic when viral reactivations occur. The discovery of this subtype of immune cells, called CD8αα+ T cells, opens a new avenue of research to develop a vaccine to prevent and treat herpes simplex virus type 2, or HSV-2. Identifying these T cells’ specific molecular targets, called epitopes, is the next step in developing a vaccine.

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Members of The National Communication Association who study interpersonal communication can provide insight into how couples express, and work through feelings of jealousy.

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After analyzing data from nearly 5,000 American adults, U-M researchers found that the quality of a person’s relationships with a spouse, family and friends predicted the likelihood of major depression disorder in the future, regardless of how frequently their social interactions took place.

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Absorption Pharmaceuticals announced today that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has indicated that it will grant a patent related to the use of its topical medication, Promescent, for premature ejaculation (PE). The patent protects novel lidocaine-only eutectic formulation which enables maximum absorption of the anesthetic through the skin's outer layer and provides men with improved ejaculatory control while maintaining great sensory feeling.

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Maybe rocker Greg Kihn was being prophetic in his 1981 hit, "The Breakup Song," with its chorus, "They don't write 'em like that anymore." An Indiana University professor's new paper looks at how people write to break up today, including through texts, emails and social media. According to a new research article by Ilana Gershon, associate professor of communication and culture in IU's College of Arts and Sciences, part of what makes the breakup stories she collected into American stories is that the medium seems so important to the message when breaking off relationships.

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A Western Illinois University faculty member who published a widely covered study about Facebook and narcissism last year has authored another study about Facebook and romantic relationships.

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Romantic-comedy films are not a major source for developing unrealistic expectations about relationships among young adults, finds a new study to be published online this week in the National Communication Association’s journal Communication Monographs.

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One of the major demographic and social changes of the last four decades has been the dramatic increase in the average age at which Americans first marry, from their early 20s in 1970 to their late 20s today.

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While participating in social activities and organizations promotes health, having personal ties with friends is even better, finds a new study in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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Marriage may not always be as beneficial to health as experts have led us to believe, according to a new study.

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Religious and Secular Urged to Discuss Sexuality at this weekend’s “Holy Sex! What Do Americans Hold Sacred?” -- a symbolic call toward furthering sexual understanding against Congressional, state and corporate censorship, hope activists.

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Same-sex cohabitors report worse health than people of the same socioeconomic status who are in heterosexual marriages, according to a new study, which may provide fuel for gay marriage proponents.

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Affectionate behavior may not be all that it seems, according to a new study by relational communication expert Sean Horan, an assistant professor at DePaul University, and co-author Melanie Booth-Butterfield, a professor at West Virginia University.

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Parents are more accepting of their teenage daughters using birth control pills than any other form of contraception, including condoms, according to a recent study from UC San Francisco (UCSF). The most effective contraceptive methods, the implant – a matchstick-sized rod that is inserted in the arm to prevent pregnancy – and the intrauterine device (IUD), were acceptable to a minority of parents.

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Columbia University School of Nursing Menopause expert Nancy Reame, PhD, provides tips for enjoying a great sex life during this stage.

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Members of The National Communication Association who study interpersonal communication can provide insight into how couples can navigate through conflicts in their relationships.

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Concerns and anxieties about one’s close relationships appear to function as a chronic stressor that can compromise immunity, according to new research.

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Both chronically jealous men and women show less interest in infants and decreased happiness upon receiving pregnancy news. But jealous women show a higher level of “parental investment” in a child than do jealous men.

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To raise awareness of sexual health, CIHR-funded researchers are available to discuss this important part of our lives and its impact on people’s physical and mental health.

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As Valentine’s Day approaches and people’s thoughts turn to love and romance, Wake Forest University professors are available to talk about the following related topics.

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It’s a tumultuous time in life — the late teens, early 20s — especially when it comes to relationships. That instability is the focus of a new study from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research (NCFMR) at Bowling Green State University.

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Married men who spend more time doing traditionally female household tasks—including cooking, cleaning, and shopping—report having less sex than husbands who don’t do as much, according to a new study in the February issue of the American Sociological Review.

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Married men and women who divide household chores in traditional ways report having more sex than couples who share so-called men's and women's work, according to a new study co-authored by sociologists at the University of Washington.

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An Indiana U. study reveals that in a nationally representative study of Americans, sex was rated as highly arousing and pleasurable whether or not condoms and/or lubricants were used.

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New courtship rituals are changing the experiences partners bring to a romantic relationship, which may influence what happens in that relationship, says Katherine (KC) Haydon, assistant professor of psychology and education at Mount Holyoke College.

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Partners each bring a suitcase of prior experiences to a relationship, which may influence what happens in their current relationship, says Katherine (KC) Haydon, assistant professor of psychology and education.

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Many parents dread that moment when they need to have “The Talk” about sex with their teens. For the New Year, Wake Forest University psychology professor Andrew Smiler suggests parents resolve to start an ongoing conversation about relationships and sexuality long before their children reach double digits.

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A team of family scholars today released “The President’s Marriage Agenda for the Forgotten Sixty Percent” to tackle the striking yet little-discussed decline in marriage among “Middle America” – the nearly 60 percent of Americans who have completed high school, but do not have a four-year college degree. Among that group, 44 percent of children are now born outside of marriage, up sharply from 13 percent in the 1980s.

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A national study found that college students think 25 years old is the “right age” to get married, while a majority of parents feel 25 is still a little too soon. So it's no coincidence that when Justin Bieber said he'd like to wed by 25, Oprah Winfrey urged him to wait longer.

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New research to be presented at the American Public Health Association's 140th Annual Meeting.

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A UCLA-led team of experts has tested a proposed set of criteria to define “Hypersexual Disorder” (HD), as a new mental health condition, and found the proposed criteria to be reliable and valid. The results will influence whether HD should be included in the forthcoming revised fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) considered the “bible” of psychiatry.

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New psychology study from The University of Texas at Austin shows teenagers who wait longer to have sex are more likely to have satisfied romantic relationships later in life.

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Researchers from Binghamton University and The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, collaborated on a comprehensive academic review of the sexual hookup culture. Their finding concluded that these encounters, which are increasingly becoming the ‘norm,’ mark a shift in the openness and acceptance of uncommitted sex among U.S. “emerging adults” during the transitional developmental period between adolescence and young adulthood.