Avoidant romantic attachment and female orgasm: testing an emotion-regulation hypothesis
1Institute for the Study of Children, Families & Social Issues, Birkbeck University of London, UK. dr.cohen@myfastmail.com
Attachment & Human Development
|March 21, 2008
Summary
Attachment avoidance in women is linked to lower frequency of orgasms. This suggests emotional regulation and early life experiences significantly impact sexual satisfaction in adulthood.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human Sexuality
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Female orgasmic frequency shows significant variation, with only about one-third being heritable.
- Attachment theory highlights emotion regulation's role, with infant insecurity and adult avoidance not being heritable traits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between adult attachment avoidance and female orgasmic frequency.
- To explore developmental influences on adult sexual behavior.
Main Methods:
- An internet survey was conducted with 323 women.
- Data collected included measures of attachment avoidance and self-reported orgasmic frequency.
Main Results:
- Higher levels of adult attachment avoidance were significantly associated with lower levels of female orgasmic frequency.
- The findings support the hypothesis that non-heritable factors, such as attachment style, influence sexual experiences.
Conclusions:
- Attachment avoidance, potentially stemming from developmental influences, plays a role in explaining non-heritable variation in female orgasmic frequency.
- This research contributes to understanding the interplay between attachment, emotion regulation, and adult reproductive behavior from an evolutionary perspective.
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