Gurit E Birnbaum
Biographic Data
| ID | 650351 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gurit E Birnbaum |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gurit E |
| FAMILY NAME | Birnbaum |
| SIGNATURE | BIRNBAUM G E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Reichman University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2033-4839 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 43 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 406 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 43 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
They Are Just Not That Into You: Does Sexual Arousal Impair Perception of Rejection Cues
Sexual arousal elicits approach-oriented motivation. In early romantic encounters, however, this desire to pursue a connection must be balanced against the risk of rejection. Across four studies, we investigated whether sexual priming affects risk regulation, causing people to perceive potential partners as romantically interested despite ambiguous cues. Unpartnered participants watched either sexual or nonsexual videos before engaging in an onli…
Selling yourself short: How sexualized online dating profiles affect viewers’ perceptions and relationship intentions
People often use sexualized images in their online dating profiles to stand out. However, this strategy can backfire, hurting their chances of finding a partner. Three studies examined the effects of sexualized profiles on how viewers see profile owners while investigating why and when sexualization can have negative effects. Across all studies, unpartnered participants assessed sexualized and non-sexualized dating profiles, providing ratings on …
Once upon a swipe: The impact of storytelling on dating profile appeal
The Power to Flirt: Power within Romantic Relationships and Its Contribution to Expressions of Extradyadic Desire
Power in non-romantic contexts makes people confident in their ability to attract potential partners, increasing their mating motivation and the likelihood of acting on this motivation. Four studies investigated whether perceptions of power within romantic relationships would also activate mating goals, intensifying desires for alternative partners. In Studies 1 and 2, participants underwent power manipulation and then described a sexual fantasy …
When Your Partner is Being Flirted With: The Impact of Unsolicited Attention on Perceived Partner Desirability and Mate Retention Efforts
When searching for a partner, people often rely on social cues to determine partners' suitability, finding those who attract attention from others particularly appealing. While people continue to evaluate their partners beyond relationship initiation, existing research has predominantly concentrated on the effects of observing others' choices during the stage of partner selection, neglecting to consider whether viewing others' attention toward cu…
Temptation at your door: Receiving mate poaching attempts and perceived Partners' desirability
Committed individuals cope with the threat of alternative partners by using strategies that undermine their allure. However, in an era, in which alternative mates lurk around every corner, these strategies may lose their effectiveness. Two studies investigated this possibility, examining how being the target of online mate poaching influenced perceptions of current and alternative partners. In both studies, partnered undergraduate students chatte…
Put Me in Your Shoes: Does Perspective-Taking Inoculate Against the Appeal of Alternative Partners
People commit to monogamous relationships with the intent of maintaining sexual exclusivity but often fail to do so. Existing research has focused on individual and relationship characteristics that render relationships more vulnerable to infidelity, paying less attention to strategies that decrease the likelihood of straying. Three experiments investigated the impact of one strategy that might encourage people to enact relationship-protective re…
Is Infidelity Contagious? Online Exposure to Norms of Adultery and Its Effect on Expressions of Desire for Current and Alternative Partners
Sexual Desire Mediates the Relationship-Promoting Effects of Perceived Partner Mate Value
Machine learning uncovers the most robust self-report predictors of relationship quality across 43 longitudinal couples studies
Significance What predicts how happy people are with their romantic relationships? Relationship science—an interdisciplinary field spanning psychology, sociology, economics, family studies, and communication—has identified hundreds of variables that purportedly shape romantic relationship quality. The current project used machine learning to directly quantify and compare the predictive power of many such variables among 11,196 romantic couples. P…
Seeing what you want to see: Sexual activation makes potential partners seem more appealing and romantically interested
Recent studies have indicated that activation of the sexual system fosters relationship initiation. In three studies, we expand on this work to investigate whether sexual activation encourages initiating relationship with prospective partners by biasing the way they are perceived. In all studies, participants encountered a potential partner and rated this partner's attractiveness and romantic interest following sexual activation. Participants' in…
No pain, no gain: Perceived partner mate value mediates the desire-inducing effect of being hard to get during online and face-to-face encounters
Playing hard to get is a common strategy used to attract mates. Past research has been unclear about whether and why this strategy facilitates mate pursuit. In three studies, we examined whether perceiving potential partners as hard to get instigated sexual desire and whether perceived partner mate value explained this effect. In doing so, we focused on tactics that give the impression that potential partners are hard to get and may genuinely sig…
When insecurity dampens desire: Attachment anxiety in men amplifies the decline in sexual desire during the early years of romantic relationships
Sexual desire is typically high during early relationship stages and decreases gradually over time. In the present research, we adopted an attachment‐theoretical perspective to investigate why sexual desire for romantic partners erodes more rapidly for some people than others. We employed two samples of developing relationships (dating couples, N = 62; and newlyweds, N = 175) and examined the effects of attachment insecurities on sexual desire in…
Making the right first impression: Sexual priming encourages attitude change and self-presentation lies during encounters with potential partners
Our Fragile Relationships: Relationship Threat and Its Effect on the Allure of Alternative Mates
Fueled by desire: Sexual activation facilitates the enactment of relationship-initiating behaviors
Sexual desire has long been theorized to serve a relationship-initiation function by bringing partners together. Four studies addressed this possibility, examining whether activation of the sexual system encouraged the enactment of nonsexual behaviors that signal warmth and contact readiness. In Study 1, participants mimed together with an opposite-sex confederate to prerecorded music. Participant's desire for the confederate was associated with …
Being on the same wavelength: Behavioral synchrony between partners and its influence on the experience of intimacy
Although coordination between partners has been considered in the clinical literature as an indication of intimate relationships, the influence of simple motor synchrony on the experience of intimacy has not been established yet. Four studies examined whether synchrony, temporal alignment of simple motor periodic behaviors between partners, instilled a sense of intimacy. In Study 1, same-sex strangers discussed positive or neutral events while th…
You haven't been on my mind lately: Partner responsiveness mediates the link between attachment insecurity and sexual fantasies
Sexual desire between romantic partners tends to decrease over time. A decrease in frequency of dyadic fantasies and an increase in frequency of extradyadic fantasies are typical manifestations of this process. The present diary study adopted an attachment-theoretical perspective to better understand why some people are less likely to fantasize about their partners. Both members of 100 romantic couples completed measures of relationship-specific …
Reassuring sex: Can sexual desire and intimacy reduce relationship‐specific attachment insecurities
Past research has shown that attachment orientations shape sexual processes within relationships. Yet, little has been done to explore the opposite direction. In the present research, we examined whether sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities over time in emerging relationships. In an 8‐month longitudinal study, we followed 62 newly dating couples across three measurement waves. At Time 1, romantic partners discussed …
Machines as a source of consolation: Robot responsiveness increases human approach behavior and desire for companionship
Responsiveness to one's bids for proximity in times of need is a linchpin of human interaction. Thus, the ability to be perceived as responsive has design implications for socially assistive robots. We report on a large-scale experimental laboratory study (n = 102) examining robot responsiveness and its effects on human attitudes and behaviors. In one-on-one sessions, participants disclosed a personal event to a non-humanoid robot. The robot resp…
Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire
Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain desire in their long-term relationships. Three studies employed complementary methodologies to examine whether partner responsiveness, an intimacy-building behavior, could instill desire for one's partner. In Study 1, participants were led to believe that they would interact online with their partner. In reality, they interacted with either a responsive or a…
Coping with mate poaching: Gender differences in detection of infidelity-related threats
Fatal Suppression: The Detrimental Effects of Sexual and Attachment Deactivation Within Emerging Romantic Relationships
The attachment and sexual systems operate jointly across partners to affect relationship outcomes. In the present longitudinal investigation of newly dating couples, we tested a dual deactivation hypothesis of relationship dissatisfaction. According to this hypothesis, individuals whose sexual system is chronically deactivated are expected to experience low relationship satisfaction early in their relationships. Their satisfaction should increase…
When sex goes wrong: A behavioral systems perspective on individual differences in sexual attitudes, motives, feelings, and behaviors
In the research program summarized here, we adopted a behavioral systems approach to explain individual differences in human sexual behavior. In the 1st stage, we developed the Sexual System Functioning Scale (SSFS)-a self-report instrument for assessing hyperactivation and deactivation of the sexual system. Sexual hyperactivation involves intense but anxious expressions of sexual desire, whereas sexual deactivation includes inhibition of sexual …
Misguided attraction: The contribution of normative and individual-differences components of the sexual system to mating preferences
Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women
The current research focuses on the detrimental effects of attachment insecurities on sexuality and relationship quality. A community sample of 96 women completed self-report scales tapping attachment orientations; relationship satisfaction; sex-related affect and cognitions; and sexual functioning. Findings indicate that although both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with aversive sexual affect and cognitions, attachment anxiety …
When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality
The authors explored the contribution of individual differences in attachment orientations to the experience of sexual intercourse and its association with relationship quality. In Study 1, 500 participants completed self-report scales of attachment orientations and sexual experience. The findings indicated that whereas attachment anxiety was associated with an ambivalent construal of sexual experience, attachment avoidance was associated with mo…
Stress and accessibility of proximity-related thoughts: Exploring the normative and intraindividual components of attachment theory
Three studies examine the effects of stress on the accessibility of proximity-related thoughts. In all the studies, participants reported on their attachment style, and the accessibility of proximity themes and worries in a lexical decision task was assessed upon the priming of a stress or neutral word. In Study 2, the primed stress word was semantically related to attachment themes. In Study 3, lexical decisions were made under low or high cogni…
Bound to interact: The divergent goals and complex interplay of attachment and sex within romantic relationships
Attachment and sexual mating are distinct behavioral systems that serve different evolutionary functions. Although their behavioral manifestations may occur in isolation, romantic partners typically function simultaneously as sexual partners and as attachment figures. In recent years, researchers have focused their attention on the complex interplay between attachment processes and the sexual aspects of romantic love. In this manuscript, I review…
Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire
Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain desire in their long-term relationships. Three studies employed complementary methodologies to examine whether partner responsiveness, an intimacy-building behavior, could instill desire for one's partner. In Study 1, participants were led to believe that they would interact online with their partner. In reality, they interacted with either a responsive or a…
When Marriage Breaks Up-Does Attachment Style Contribute to Coping and Mental Health
This study examines the association between adult attachment style and the way people react to the crisis of divorce. A research group of 120 participants undergoing legal procedures related to divorce and a control group of 108 married participants were classified according to their attachment style (secure, avoidant, anxious-ambivalent) and completed the Mental Health Inventory. In addition, the divorced participants answered scales tapping app…
Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavioral system: What is sex good for
In five studies, we created and validated a self-report measure of individual differences in sex behaviors and beliefs related to the pursuit of various subgoals of the sexual system. In a pilot study, we created an initial version, in Hebrew, of the Sexual Behavioral System Subgoals (SBSS) scale and determined its 4-factor structure. Study 1 confirmed the 4-factor structure of the SBSS: Relationship initiation; relationship maintenance; promotin…
Desire under attack: Attachment orientations and the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations
The authors examined the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations. In two studies, participants imagined relationship or non-relationship threat scenes and then rated their desire to have sex (Study 1) and the reasons for doing so (Study 2). The results indicated that relationship threat prompted both enhancement and relationship-based motives, suggesting that people use sex to both feel better and repair the threatened relationship. …
When sex goes wrong: A behavioral systems perspective on individual differences in sexual attitudes, motives, feelings, and behaviors
In the research program summarized here, we adopted a behavioral systems approach to explain individual differences in human sexual behavior. In the 1st stage, we developed the Sexual System Functioning Scale (SSFS)-a self-report instrument for assessing hyperactivation and deactivation of the sexual system. Sexual hyperactivation involves intense but anxious expressions of sexual desire, whereas sexual deactivation includes inhibition of sexual …
Women's sexual working models: An evolutionary‐attachment perspective
In three studies, we developed and validated a self-report measure of women's sexual working models. In a pilot study we created an initial version of the Women's Sexual Working Models Scale (WSWMS), administered it to an exploratory sample of 470 women, and identified its 5-factor structure. Study 1 confirmed the 5-factor structure in a new sample: (1) Fostering commitment; (2) Evaluating a sexual partner's suitability; (3) Promoting frequent se…
Does Subliminal Exposure to Sexual Stimuli Have the Same Effects on Men and Women
Three studies explored gender differences in explicit and implicit components of sexual arousal following brief exposure to a sexual stimulus. Whereas Study 1 assessed reports of sexual arousal following subliminal exposure to a sexual or a neutral picture, Studies 2 and 3 examined the effects of the same priming procedure on accessibility of sex-related thoughts assessed with a pictorial judgment task and a lexical decision task. The subliminal …
Is it my overactive imagination? The effects of contextually activated attachment insecurity on sexual fantasies
Three studies examined the effects of explicit and implicit insecurity priming on the content of sexual fantasies. In all studies, participants described a sexual fantasy narratively (Studies 1 and 2) or completed a fantasy checklist (Study 3) following contextual activation of attachment representations. In Study 1, explicit insecurity priming led to fantasies that involved interpersonal distance and hostility themes. This pattern was particular…
You haven't been on my mind lately: Partner responsiveness mediates the link between attachment insecurity and sexual fantasies
Sexual desire between romantic partners tends to decrease over time. A decrease in frequency of dyadic fantasies and an increase in frequency of extradyadic fantasies are typical manifestations of this process. The present diary study adopted an attachment-theoretical perspective to better understand why some people are less likely to fantasize about their partners. Both members of 100 romantic couples completed measures of relationship-specific …
Changes in Sexual Experiences and Relationship Quality During Pregnancy
Women's experience of heterosexual intercourse—scale construction, factor structure, and relations to orgasmic disorder
The current studies attempt to develop a self‐report scale tapping women's experience of heterosexual intercourse. In Study 1, 129 Israeli women freely expressed the feelings, thoughts, and motives involved in the experience of heterosexual intercourse. A content analysis revealed three experiential patterns: relationship‐centered, aversive, and pleasure‐centered. In Study 2, a self‐report scale, constructed on the basis of the above content anal…
Seeing what you want to see: Sexual activation makes potential partners seem more appealing and romantically interested
Recent studies have indicated that activation of the sexual system fosters relationship initiation. In three studies, we expand on this work to investigate whether sexual activation encourages initiating relationship with prospective partners by biasing the way they are perceived. In all studies, participants encountered a potential partner and rated this partner's attractiveness and romantic interest following sexual activation. Participants' in…
No pain, no gain: Perceived partner mate value mediates the desire-inducing effect of being hard to get during online and face-to-face encounters
Playing hard to get is a common strategy used to attract mates. Past research has been unclear about whether and why this strategy facilitates mate pursuit. In three studies, we examined whether perceiving potential partners as hard to get instigated sexual desire and whether perceived partner mate value explained this effect. In doing so, we focused on tactics that give the impression that potential partners are hard to get and may genuinely sig…
Fueled by desire: Sexual activation facilitates the enactment of relationship-initiating behaviors
Sexual desire has long been theorized to serve a relationship-initiation function by bringing partners together. Four studies addressed this possibility, examining whether activation of the sexual system encouraged the enactment of nonsexual behaviors that signal warmth and contact readiness. In Study 1, participants mimed together with an opposite-sex confederate to prerecorded music. Participant's desire for the confederate was associated with …
The Meaning of Heterosexual Intercourse Among Women with Female Orgasmic Disorder
Making the right first impression: Sexual priming encourages attitude change and self-presentation lies during encounters with potential partners
Reassuring sex: Can sexual desire and intimacy reduce relationship‐specific attachment insecurities
Past research has shown that attachment orientations shape sexual processes within relationships. Yet, little has been done to explore the opposite direction. In the present research, we examined whether sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities over time in emerging relationships. In an 8‐month longitudinal study, we followed 62 newly dating couples across three measurement waves. At Time 1, romantic partners discussed …
Our Fragile Relationships: Relationship Threat and Its Effect on the Allure of Alternative Mates
Being on the same wavelength: Behavioral synchrony between partners and its influence on the experience of intimacy
Although coordination between partners has been considered in the clinical literature as an indication of intimate relationships, the influence of simple motor synchrony on the experience of intimacy has not been established yet. Four studies examined whether synchrony, temporal alignment of simple motor periodic behaviors between partners, instilled a sense of intimacy. In Study 1, same-sex strangers discussed positive or neutral events while th…
Machines as a source of consolation: Robot responsiveness increases human approach behavior and desire for companionship
Responsiveness to one's bids for proximity in times of need is a linchpin of human interaction. Thus, the ability to be perceived as responsive has design implications for socially assistive robots. We report on a large-scale experimental laboratory study (n = 102) examining robot responsiveness and its effects on human attitudes and behaviors. In one-on-one sessions, participants disclosed a personal event to a non-humanoid robot. The robot resp…
Sexual Desire Mediates the Relationship-Promoting Effects of Perceived Partner Mate Value
When Marriage Breaks Up-Does Attachment Style Contribute to Coping and Mental Health
This study examines the association between adult attachment style and the way people react to the crisis of divorce. A research group of 120 participants undergoing legal procedures related to divorce and a control group of 108 married participants were classified according to their attachment style (secure, avoidant, anxious-ambivalent) and completed the Mental Health Inventory. In addition, the divorced participants answered scales tapping app…
Stress and accessibility of proximity-related thoughts: Exploring the normative and intraindividual components of attachment theory
Three studies examine the effects of stress on the accessibility of proximity-related thoughts. In all the studies, participants reported on their attachment style, and the accessibility of proximity themes and worries in a lexical decision task was assessed upon the priming of a stress or neutral word. In Study 2, the primed stress word was semantically related to attachment themes. In Study 3, lexical decisions were made under low or high cogni…
Women's experience of heterosexual intercourse—scale construction, factor structure, and relations to orgasmic disorder
The current studies attempt to develop a self‐report scale tapping women's experience of heterosexual intercourse. In Study 1, 129 Israeli women freely expressed the feelings, thoughts, and motives involved in the experience of heterosexual intercourse. A content analysis revealed three experiential patterns: relationship‐centered, aversive, and pleasure‐centered. In Study 2, a self‐report scale, constructed on the basis of the above content anal…
The Death-Anxiety Buffering Function of Close Relationships: Exploring the Effects of Separation Reminders on Death-Thought Accessibility
Three studies examined the effects of separation reminders on death-thought accessibility. In Study 1, participants imagined a separation from a relationship partner, the death of such a partner, or a TV program. In Study 2, participants imagined a separation from a relationship partner, a separation from an acquaintance, or an academic failure. In Study 3, participants imagined a short-term, long-term, or final separation from a relationship par…
The Meaning of Heterosexual Intercourse Among Women with Female Orgasmic Disorder
Women's sexual working models: An evolutionary‐attachment perspective
In three studies, we developed and validated a self-report measure of women's sexual working models. In a pilot study we created an initial version of the Women's Sexual Working Models Scale (WSWMS), administered it to an exploratory sample of 470 women, and identified its 5-factor structure. Study 1 confirmed the 5-factor structure in a new sample: (1) Fostering commitment; (2) Evaluating a sexual partner's suitability; (3) Promoting frequent se…
When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality
The authors explored the contribution of individual differences in attachment orientations to the experience of sexual intercourse and its association with relationship quality. In Study 1, 500 participants completed self-report scales of attachment orientations and sexual experience. The findings indicated that whereas attachment anxiety was associated with an ambivalent construal of sexual experience, attachment avoidance was associated with mo…
Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavioral system: What is sex good for
In five studies, we created and validated a self-report measure of individual differences in sex behaviors and beliefs related to the pursuit of various subgoals of the sexual system. In a pilot study, we created an initial version, in Hebrew, of the Sexual Behavioral System Subgoals (SBSS) scale and determined its 4-factor structure. Study 1 confirmed the 4-factor structure of the SBSS: Relationship initiation; relationship maintenance; promotin…
Is it all about intimacy? Age, menopausal status, and women’s sexuality
Two studies examined the contribution of aging to various aspects of sexual functioning. Study 1 examined the association between age and sexual response among 289 women. Results showed that aging and relationship length were associated with relatively low sexual desire, excitement, and intimacy, with sexual intimacy mediating the association between relationship length and sexual excitement. Furthermore, the negative association between aging an…
Beyond the borders of reality: Attachment orientations and sexual fantasies
Two studies examined the associations between attachment orientations and sexual fantasies. In Study 1, 176 participants completed a sexual fantasy checklist. The findings indicated that attachment anxiety was associated with frequent sexual fantasizing (e.g., submission themes). More anxiously attached women were particularly likely to report extrapair fantasies, whereas more anxiously attached men were especially likely to report romantic fanta…
Does Subliminal Exposure to Sexual Stimuli Have the Same Effects on Men and Women
Three studies explored gender differences in explicit and implicit components of sexual arousal following brief exposure to a sexual stimulus. Whereas Study 1 assessed reports of sexual arousal following subliminal exposure to a sexual or a neutral picture, Studies 2 and 3 examined the effects of the same priming procedure on accessibility of sex-related thoughts assessed with a pictorial judgment task and a lexical decision task. The subliminal …
Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women
The current research focuses on the detrimental effects of attachment insecurities on sexuality and relationship quality. A community sample of 96 women completed self-report scales tapping attachment orientations; relationship satisfaction; sex-related affect and cognitions; and sexual functioning. Findings indicate that although both attachment anxiety and avoidance were associated with aversive sexual affect and cognitions, attachment anxiety …
Desire in the face of death: Terror management, attachment, and sexual motivation
Four studies examined the impact of mortality salience (MS) on sexual motivation. In Studies 1–3, participants were primed with death‐related thoughts and then rated their desire to engage in sex in different contexts. Study 4 included an assessment of reasons for engaging in sex. Results showed that MS increased the desire for romantic sex, regardless of gender, and the desire for casual sex among more avoidant men. Sexual desire was fueled by d…
Bound to interact: The divergent goals and complex interplay of attachment and sex within romantic relationships
Attachment and sexual mating are distinct behavioral systems that serve different evolutionary functions. Although their behavioral manifestations may occur in isolation, romantic partners typically function simultaneously as sexual partners and as attachment figures. In recent years, researchers have focused their attention on the complex interplay between attachment processes and the sexual aspects of romantic love. In this manuscript, I review…
Desire under attack: Attachment orientations and the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations
The authors examined the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations. In two studies, participants imagined relationship or non-relationship threat scenes and then rated their desire to have sex (Study 1) and the reasons for doing so (Study 2). The results indicated that relationship threat prompted both enhancement and relationship-based motives, suggesting that people use sex to both feel better and repair the threatened relationship. …
A fiery conflict: Attachment orientations and the effects of relational conflict on sexual motivation
This study examined the effects of relational conflict on sexual motivation. Sixty‐one couples were videotaped while discussing either a major relationship problem or their daily routine. Both partners then completed measures of sexual motives and rated their romantic partner's sexual attractiveness. Results showed that conflict discussion inhibited relationship‐based motives and had an adverse effect on women's perceptions of partner's attractiv…
Changes in Sexual Experiences and Relationship Quality During Pregnancy
Is it my overactive imagination? The effects of contextually activated attachment insecurity on sexual fantasies
Three studies examined the effects of explicit and implicit insecurity priming on the content of sexual fantasies. In all studies, participants described a sexual fantasy narratively (Studies 1 and 2) or completed a fantasy checklist (Study 3) following contextual activation of attachment representations. In Study 1, explicit insecurity priming led to fantasies that involved interpersonal distance and hostility themes. This pattern was particular…
Misguided attraction: The contribution of normative and individual-differences components of the sexual system to mating preferences
When sex goes wrong: A behavioral systems perspective on individual differences in sexual attitudes, motives, feelings, and behaviors
In the research program summarized here, we adopted a behavioral systems approach to explain individual differences in human sexual behavior. In the 1st stage, we developed the Sexual System Functioning Scale (SSFS)-a self-report instrument for assessing hyperactivation and deactivation of the sexual system. Sexual hyperactivation involves intense but anxious expressions of sexual desire, whereas sexual deactivation includes inhibition of sexual …
Coping with mate poaching: Gender differences in detection of infidelity-related threats
Fatal Suppression: The Detrimental Effects of Sexual and Attachment Deactivation Within Emerging Romantic Relationships
The attachment and sexual systems operate jointly across partners to affect relationship outcomes. In the present longitudinal investigation of newly dating couples, we tested a dual deactivation hypothesis of relationship dissatisfaction. According to this hypothesis, individuals whose sexual system is chronically deactivated are expected to experience low relationship satisfaction early in their relationships. Their satisfaction should increase…
Reassuring sex: Can sexual desire and intimacy reduce relationship‐specific attachment insecurities
Past research has shown that attachment orientations shape sexual processes within relationships. Yet, little has been done to explore the opposite direction. In the present research, we examined whether sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities over time in emerging relationships. In an 8‐month longitudinal study, we followed 62 newly dating couples across three measurement waves. At Time 1, romantic partners discussed …
Machines as a source of consolation: Robot responsiveness increases human approach behavior and desire for companionship
Responsiveness to one's bids for proximity in times of need is a linchpin of human interaction. Thus, the ability to be perceived as responsive has design implications for socially assistive robots. We report on a large-scale experimental laboratory study (n = 102) examining robot responsiveness and its effects on human attitudes and behaviors. In one-on-one sessions, participants disclosed a personal event to a non-humanoid robot. The robot resp…
Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire
Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain desire in their long-term relationships. Three studies employed complementary methodologies to examine whether partner responsiveness, an intimacy-building behavior, could instill desire for one's partner. In Study 1, participants were led to believe that they would interact online with their partner. In reality, they interacted with either a responsive or a…
Psychology (40 works) · Developmental psychology (32 works) · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior (32 works) · Social Psychology (32 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (26 works) · Sexual behavior (19 works) · Social Psychology (16 works) · Romance (15 works) · Sexual function and dysfunction studies (15 works) · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology (15 works)