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Masturbation and Partnered Sex: Substitutes or Complements?
Mark Regnerus1, Joseph Price2, David Gordon3
1Department of Sociology, University of Texas at Austin, 305 E. 23rd St., A1700, CLA 3.306, Austin, TX, 78712, USA. regnerus@prc.utexas.edu.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|March 26, 2017
Summary
Masturbation may compensate for less sex in men and complement partnered sex in women, but sexual contentment is a stronger predictor for both. This study explores sexual frequency and masturbation habits.
Area of Science:
- Human Sexuality
- Behavioral Science
- Sociology
Background:
- Understanding the relationship between masturbation and partnered sexual activity is crucial for comprehending sexual behavior.
- Previous research has explored whether masturbation acts as a substitute for or supplement to partnered sex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between sexual frequency and masturbation in a large sample of American adults.
- To evaluate whether masturbation compensates for, complements, or is unrelated to partnered sexual activity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a large, recent probability sample of American adults aged 18-60.
- Collected data on sexual frequency, masturbation habits, partnered status, and sexual contentment.
Main Results:
- Found evidence for a compensatory relationship between masturbation and sexual frequency in men.
- Observed a complementary relationship between masturbation and sexual frequency in women.
- Both associations were modest and dependent on participants' sexual contentment.
- Partnered status and sexual contentment were stronger predictors of masturbation than sexual frequency.
Conclusions:
- The commonly evaluated hypotheses regarding masturbation's role may be incomplete.
- Subjective sexual contentment plays a pivotal role in predicting masturbation behavior.
- Future research should incorporate sexual contentment when examining masturbation and sexual activity patterns.
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