Sex Differences in Voyeuristic and Exhibitionistic Interests

Exploring the Mediating Roles of Sociosexuality and Sexual Compulsivity from an Evolutionary Perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID8355667
AuthorsAndrew G Thomas (0000-0001-5251-7923, Swansea University, corresponding author), Bridie Stone (0000-0002-4751-7512, Swansea University), Paul Bennett (0000-0003-2252-6065, Swansea University), Steve Stewart‐william (0000-0001-8568-6846, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus), Steve Stewart-Williams, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair (0000-0002-2713-7096, Norwegian University of Science and Technology)
Year2021
Volume50
Issue5
Pages2151-2162
Publication date2021-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchives of Sexual Behavior (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0004-0002 • E-ISSN: 1573-2800
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1007/s10508-021-01991-0
PMID34231108
OpenAlexW3180638395
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited51

Sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity predict sex differences in voyeuristic interest in the population. In this study, we used a sample of 1113 participants from the UK (46% men) to consider whether sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity interacted to explain these sex differences and whether this relationship extended to the related domain of exhibitionism. In doing so, we tested novel predictions derived from an evolutionary perspective which views voyeuristic and exhibitionistic interest as manifestations of a short-term mating strategy. Participants reported their levels of repulsion toward voyeurism and exhibitionism and their interest in performing such acts under different levels of risk. There were clear sex differences in voyeuristic and exhibitionistic repulsion that were partially mediated by the serial combination of sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity. Examining the sexes separately revealed qualitatively different relationships between sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity when predicting exhibitionistic, but not voyeuristic, repulsion. Combined, sociosexuality and sexual compulsivity also mediated the sex difference in willingness to commit acts of voyeurism, but not exhibitionism, which was equally low for both sexes. The results highlight the role sociosexuality plays in voyeuristic and exhibitionistic interest, which coupled with an evolutionary perspective, may have implications for how we view courtship disorders

Biology · Developmental psychology · Exhibitionism · Perspective (graphical) · Psychiatry · Sexual conflict · Sexual selection · Voyeurism · Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies · Ecology · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Psychology · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology · Social Psychology

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Open DOIOpen Access