Why do people have sex? To experience sexual pleasure or to reproduce, according to many scientists today. But new research reveals that people have sex for many other reasons. Psychology researchers David Buss and Cindy Meston at The University of Texas have unvealed no less than 237 motivations for sex.
Two studies were conducted. In the first one, 400 men and women were asked to identify reasons for sex. In the second study, 1,500 undergraduate students were asked about their experiences and attitudes. The research by Buss and Meston is thus one of the most extensive studies about why people have sex.
Four major factors and 13 sub-factors for why people have sex were identified:
1. Physical reasons such as to reduce stress ("It seemed like good exercise"), feel pleasure ("It’s exciting"), improve or expand experiences ("I was curious about sex"), and the physical desirability of their partner ("The person was a good dancer").
2. Goal-based reasons, including utilitarian or practical considerations ("I wanted to have a baby"), social status ("I wanted to be popular") and revenge ("I wanted to give someone else a sexually transmitted disease").
3. Emotional reasons such as love and commitment ("I wanted to feel connected") and expression ("I wanted to say ‘thank you’").
4. Insecurity-based reasons, including self-esteem ("I wanted the attention"), a feeling of duty or pressure ("My partner kept insisting") and to guard a mate ("I wanted to keep my partner from straying").
Lesson learned? "People have different reasons for having sex, some of which are rather complex" says David Buss.
Needs rethinking?
Knowing that things are not as simple as we might think, it might be a good idea to rethink the use of sex in advertising.
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