The Power of the Present: Effects of Three Mindfulness Tasks on Women’s Sexual Response

Mindfulness-based interventions are effective at improving sexual dysfunctions in women, yet the mechanisms of action are less clear. Our objective was to investigate the impact of three mindfulness exercises on women’s sexual response. Forty-nine women participated in a laboratory session involving a series of 5-min exercises and erotic films. They completed three mindfulness-based exercises and a mental-imagery task. Genital and subjective arousal were measured continuously during erotic films, and genital arousal was measured during the exercises. A focus on the genitals led to greater genital arousal during the exercise. A focus on sensations in the body and on the genitals was associated with greater subjective sexual arousal during erotic films. Effects were small in size. Taken together, the focus of attention during a mindfulness practice may differentially affect genital and subjective sexual arousal and has implications for women experiencing difficulties in different aspects of sexual response.

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Orgasm consistency and its relationship to women’s self-reported and genital sexual response

The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality ◽

10.3138/cjhs.2021-0037 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Larah Maunder ◽

Nina Micanovic ◽

Jackie S. Huberman ◽

Meredith L. Chivers

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

Stimulus Presentation ◽

Sexual Motivation ◽

Incentive Motivation ◽

Sexual Response ◽

Sexual History ◽

Genital Arousal ◽

Incentive Value ◽

Motivation Model ◽

Age Range

According to the Incentive Motivation Model (IMM) of sexual response, the rewarding and pleasurable aspects of a sexual act strengthen its incentive value and capacity to trigger sexual motivation. One such sexual reward is orgasm consistency, the percentage of time that orgasm is experienced during a sex act. Orgasm consistency may serve to influence the incentive value of a sexual behaviour. We tested this tenet of the IMM by examining whether orgasm consistency predicted women’s sexual responses to films depicting various sex acts. Data were collected from four separate studies examining women’s genital and subjective sexual response. Participants ( N = 144, age range = 18–65) were presented with neutral and erotic film stimuli while their genital arousal was assessed using vaginal photoplethysmography or thermography. Participants reported their sexual arousal level before, during, and after each stimulus presentation, and completed questionnaires assessing sexual history and experiences, sexual interests, and sexual functioning. Orgasm consistency during penile–vaginal intercourse (PVI) significantly predicted genital arousal to films depicting PVI, but similar relationships were not observed between genital or self-reported arousal and orgasm consistency during receptive oral sex and masturbation. Findings suggest that increasing orgasm consistency to a sex act may increase its incentive value, thereby triggering greater genital response to depictions of that act. Lack of consistent orgasm or generally pleasurable and rewarding sex may limit the capacity of sex acts to trigger sexual motivation in future sexual encounters, thus contributing to low sexual arousal and desire in women.

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Gender-specific genital and subjective sexual arousal to prepotent sexual stimuli in androphilic men and gynephilic women

The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality ◽

10.3138/cjhs.2021-0004 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. e20210004

Author(s):

Nina Micanovic ◽

Amanda D. Timmers ◽

Meredith L. Chivers

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

Specific Pattern ◽

Sexual Response ◽

Sex Characteristics ◽

Complex Nature ◽

Specific Response ◽

Response Patterns ◽

Sexual Stimuli ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

Gender Specific

Marked differences have been found in men’s and women’s sexual response patterns, contingent upon their sexual orientation; androphilic (attracted to men) and gynephilic (attracted to women) men demonstrate greatest genital and self-reported arousal to their preferred stimulus type (a “gender-specific” response), whereas androphilic women do not, and findings for gynephilic women have been mixed. While there have been many investigations into gynephilic men’s and androphilic women’s (i.e., heterosexual men/women) sexual response, there has been less investigation into the specificity of sexual response of androphilic men and gynephilic women. Given the complex nature of sexual stimuli that are used in sexual response research, it is often unclear to what extent contextual cues (e.g., cues other than the sexual actor’s primary and secondary sex characteristics, such as physical attractiveness, sexual activity, etc.) influence participants’ sexual response patterns. As such, the current study examined genital, discrete self-reported, and continuous self-reported responses of androphilic men ( n = 22) and gynephilic women ( n = 10) to prepotent sexual features (stimuli thought to elicit automatic sexual arousal: erect penises and exposed vulvas), non-prepotent sexual features (flaccid penises and pubic triangles) and neutral stimuli (clothed men and women). Both samples exhibited a gender-specific pattern of genital, self-reported, and continuous self-reported sexual arousal. Similarly, all measures of sexual arousal were generally found to be greatest to “prepotent” sexual cues. Implications for understanding gender specificity of sexual response are discussed.

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Ready or Not: Exploring Sexual Arousal with Women who Report Sexual Arousal Difficulties

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.9831 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Erin Zadorozny

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Self Report ◽

Doppler Imaging ◽

Erotic Stimuli ◽

Heterosexual Women ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

First Time ◽

Subjective Arousal ◽

Report Measure

The purpose of this study is to examine possible differences in genital and subjective components of sexual arousal between women with and without sexual arousal/desire difficulties (SADD). Previous research has focused on physiological differences with women who have SADD, in particular, genital response to erotic stimuli. The pattern of results in the literature indicates that women with SADD exhibit similar genital responses to controls (Meston, Rellini, & McCall, 2010), yet women with SADD typically report a decrease in intensity of genital sensation in sexual situations (Laan, van Driel, & van Lunsen, 2008; Giraldi, Rellini, Pfaus, & Laan, 2013), calling into question the method of measurement employed to assess genitalresponse. In the current study, genital and subjective arousal, along with genital-subjective agreement (i.e., sexual concordance), will be investigated to determine if there is a difference between women with SADD and controls. Participants will include 30 self-identified heterosexual women who will complete a validated self-report measure of sexual function and a session in which they rate their subjective sexual arousal while their genital blood flow is measured in response to various films. Laser Doppler Imaging will be used to measure genital blood flow for the first time in this population. This study could lead to a better understanding of sexual arousal in women with SADD, which will assist with diagnosis, as well as identify areas to focus on when trying to develop treatments for sexual dysfunction.

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Preliminary Evidence on How the Dual Control Model Predicts Female Sexual Response to a Bogus Negative Feedback

Psychological Reports ◽

10.1177/0033294120907310 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 003329412090731

Author(s):

Reina Granados ◽

Joana Carvalho ◽

Juan Carlos Sierra

Keyword(s):

Sexual Arousal ◽

Negative Feedback ◽

Control Model ◽

Sexual Response ◽

Dual Control ◽

Sexual Performance ◽

Sexual Excitation ◽

Subjective Sexual Arousal ◽

Sexual Responses ◽

Dual Control Model

The Dual Control Model of sexual response has been mostly tested with men. As such, there is a lack of evidence on how such model applies to women’s experience of sexual arousal, particularly when they face a threatening situation such as the threat of sexual performance failure. The aim of the current study was to test whether the Dual Control Model dimensions predict women’s sexual responses to a bogus negative feedback about their sexual performance. In addition, 22 women were exposed to a sexually explicit film clip, while their genital arousal was being measured. During this presentation, a bogus negative feedback, aimed at increasing women’s anxiety about their sexual performance, was provided. Vaginal photopletismography and self-report questions were used as means to evaluate women’s genital and subjective sexual arousal, respectively. The Sexual Excitation/Sexual Inhibition Inventory for Women was further used to capture women’s sexual dynamics. Regression analysis on the high-order factors revealed that sexual excitation proneness was the only predictor of the subjective sexual responses, while none of the factors has predicted genital arousal. “Arousability” and “Concerns about sexual function” dimensions predicted subjective sexual arousal. Sexual arousability may prevent women of lowering their subjective sexual responses in a sexually demanding situation, while “Concerns about sexual function” may have the opposite role, thus being a target of clinical interest. This work provides new data on the Dual Control Model of sexual response, and particularly on its role in women’s sexual functioning.

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Female Sexual Arousal and Sociosexuality

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.8331 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Amanda Timmers

Keyword(s):

Sexual Activity ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Sociosexual Orientation ◽

Genital Arousal ◽

Multidimensional Measure ◽

Female Sexual Arousal ◽

Relationship Partners ◽

The Relationship ◽

Subjective Arousal

This study investigates the relationship between sociosexuality (one's willingness to engage in uncomitted sexual activity) and women's patterns of sexual arousal. Assessments are being made of approximately twenty women's subjective and genital arousal to 18 audio clips depicting sexual or neutral ecounters with strangers, friends, and long-term relationship partners. Participants are expected to show the highest genital and subjective arousal to the scenarios demonstrating the level of commitment that corresponds with their sociosexual orientation. Sociosexuality is being assessed using Jackson & Kirkpatrick's (2007) multidimensional measure of sociosexuality and Penke & Asendorpf's (2008) Revised Sociosexual Orientation Inventory (SOI-R). This study will have important implications for our understanding of women's sexual arousal.

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An Examination of Psychophysiological Sexual Arousal in Bisexual Women

Inquiry@Queen's Undergraduate Research Conference Proceedings ◽

10.24908/iqurcp.8715 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Monica Haberl

Keyword(s):

Sexual Activity ◽

Sexual Arousal ◽

Sexual Attraction ◽

Physiological Arousal ◽

Bisexual Women ◽

Genital Arousal ◽

Males And Females ◽

Subjective Arousal

This study aims to gain an understanding of the sexual arousal patterns of women who have some degree of sexual attraction to both males and females. Women’s genital arousal has been found to be nonspecific. That is, women have been found to show physiological arousal to stimuli depicting both their preferred and non-preferred gender (Chivers, Seto, & Blanchard, 2007). This previous research has examined arousal patterns of heterosexual and homosexual females but no research to date has focused on bisexual women. Bisexuality has been found to be more prevalent in women than homosexuality (Mosher, Chandra, & Jones, 2005); therefore, it is important to understand the arousal patterns of these women. In the current study, women’s physiological and self-reported arousal will be measured as they view erotic videos varying by degree of sexual activity (e.g., naked exercising, masturbation, coupled intercourse) and varying by gender of the sexual actors. Based on past literature, I expect to find that both physiological and subjective arousal levels will increase as the level of sexual activity in the videos increases (e.g. greater arousal to intercourse than to masturbation). I also expect to find that the correlation between bisexual women’s physiological and subjective arousal will be stronger than the concordance for either heterosexual or homosexual women. Finally, I expect frequency of masturbation, use of erotica, and sex toy use to be positively correlated with women's sexual arousal concordance (between physiological and subjective arousal).

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