Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 3, 2025

Social Isolation Model: A Noninvasive Rodent Model of Stress and Anxiety
Published on: November 11, 2022
Sex, Digital Devices, Social Media, and Social Isolation: A Study on Sexual Behavioral During COVID -19 Pandemic
Isabela A Melca1, Antonio E Nardi2, Lucio L Gonçalves2
1Delete Lab-Digital Detox and Conscious Use of Technologies, Institute of Psychiatry (IPUB), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Introduction:
Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused social and economic damages. People have adapted to a new reality of physical distance.
Objective:
The study aimed to assess the use of digital devices and social media, focusing on psychosocial and demographic factors of people´s sexual behavior during the pandemic.
Methods:
A total of 1,357 Brazilian adults participated in a cross-sectional online survey. They were recruited through social media to obtain information regarding sexual behavior and the use of digital devices and social media.
Results:
Digital devices and social media were used by 38.8% of the participants. Among the group that used technological devices, most claimed to have changed their sexual behavior, with 76.9% consuming more sexual content through movies or series.
Conclusion:
In a smaller group, technological resources appeared as an alternative for safer sex, reducing the risks of COVID-19 transmission.
Related Concept Videos
Social Foundations of Self IV: Self in Digital Communication
Factors Influencing Attraction I: Proximity
Relationship Formation
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Bullying

