Subscribe
The latest psychology and neuroscience discoveries.
My Account
  • Mental Health
  • Social Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Psychopharmacology
  • Neuroscience
  • About
No Result
View All Result
PsyPost
PsyPost
No Result
View All Result
Home Exclusive Relationships and Sexual Health

Study sheds light on differences in sexual satisfaction among straight, bisexual, and lesbian women

by Eric W. Dolan
November 21, 2020
in Relationships and Sexual Health, Social Psychology
Share on TwitterShare on Facebook
Stay informed on the latest psychology and neuroscience research—follow PsyPost on LinkedIn for daily updates and insights.

New research suggests the importance of several factors that contribute to the sexual satisfaction of women vary based on sexual orientation. The findings, published in The Journal of Sex Research, highlights the need to consider sexual identity when researching sexual satisfaction.

“Sexual satisfaction is such a vital part of individual and relationship health, but the research and clinical attention given to the topic does not match this importance. It seems like it’s viewed as an ‘extra’ part of life, something that’s nice to have but not regarded as an essential part of human existence,” said researcher Laura Holt, a psychologist and outreach coordinator for University of Missouri at St. Louis.

“When I started researching the topic to try to learn more about sexual satisfaction for women, I realized that not only is it under-researched, but the way research has been done has been messy and focused on heterosexual people. Most of the researchers didn’t explain to participants or readers what exactly they meant by ‘sexual satisfaction,’ and some of them boiled it down to whether or not participants had an orgasm, which leaves out the folks who are anorgasmic but still sexually satisfied.”

“I also noticed a lot of assumptions in measures, taking it for granted that people of different sexual identities and genders experience their sexual satisfaction the same way, so it was thought measures of sexual satisfaction developed for men and/or straight people would work for everyone. I wanted to explore that and see if those assumptions were accurate,” Holt explained.

To better understand sexual satisfaction among women with varying sexual identities, the researchers had 996 heterosexual women, 333 bisexual women, and 204 lesbian women complete a battery of surveys. The participants responded to the question “How sexually satisfied are you?” on a 7-point scale and then provided a written explanation of their choice. They also completed the 25-item Potential Sexual Satisfaction Factors survey and the 20-item New Sexual Satisfaction Scale.

“Sexual satisfaction is generally important, and different people need different experiences to feel satisfied. This is largely a study designed to improve clinical and research measures of sexual satisfaction, so if you’re looking for one Stulhofer et al’s New Sexual Satisfaction Scale is a pretty good one,” Holt told PsyPost.

The researchers found that scores on the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale were strongly correlated with responses to the generic question about sexual satisfaction for heterosexual, bisexual, and lesbian women. The scale also showed a high degree of internal consistency. Scores on measures of sexual satisfaction were similar among women of differing sexual identities.

But Holt and her colleagues also uncovered several factors that contributed to sexual satisfaction that varied based on sexual orientation. For example, heterosexual women placed greater importance on how often they have an orgasm.

“This study makes it clear that the idea of sexual satisfaction as we think about it is often heteronormative; this study revealed differences in the sexual satisfaction among straight, bisexual, and lesbian women in the areas of the importance placed on sexual activity, use of sex materials, frequency of physical intimacy/sexual activity NOT including intercourse, how often the person has an orgasm, her perception of her relationship’s strength and longevity, her feeling that her sexual activity is morally correct and/or fits her religious beliefs, her feelings of acceptance and comfort with her sexual identity, her masturbatory activities/solo sex, her experiences with partners in addition to her primary partner, how often her partner and she talk about both sex and topics other than sex,” Holt explained.

“The study also revealed some measure items that may be related to bisexual and lesbian women’s sexual satisfaction, including desire; how she feels anticipating, during, and after sex; physical capability for sex; chemistry/sexual affinity factors unique to her partner; duration of sex acts; and sexual self-confidence. These ideas are important because bisexual and lesbian women hearing or reading about straight women’s sexual satisfaction may feel increased internalized homophobia (which decreases sexual satisfaction) if they’re expecting their own sexual satisfaction factors to match the straight women’s, which can result increased shame if they don’t.”

“The factor that united all participants regardless of sexual identity was frequency of sexual activity; it was mentioned most for all three groups of women,” Holt noted.

But the study — like all research — includes some limitations.

“In order to narrowly answer questions about sexual satisfaction for bisexual and lesbian women, we had to eliminate variables like biological sex and relationship forms. So it’s possible that trans and/or poly people may have different needs for sexual satisfaction,” Holt explained. “Just as we don’t assume cisgender heterosexual men’s sexual satisfaction can be mapped onto women, we should be careful making similar assumptions for other groups. More research is needed!”

“There are so many different ways to have sex that feels satisfying to you, don’t let the most common ideas about straight sex influence you or make you feel as if what you need to have great sex is not perfectly fine,” she added.

The study, “Female Sexual Satisfaction and Sexual Identity“, was authored by Laura L. Holt , Y. Barry Chung , Erick Janssen, and Zoë D. Peterson.

TweetSendScanShareSendPinShareShareShareShareShare

RELATED

Scientists discover weak Dems have highest testosterone — but there’s an intriguing twist
Political Psychology

Scientists discover weak Dems have highest testosterone — but there’s an intriguing twist

July 10, 2025

What if the key to swaying a swing voter lies in their biology? New research found giving testosterone to weakly affiliated Democratic men made them less loyal to their party and more open to Republicans, revealing a potential hormonal link to political persuasion.

Read moreDetails
Ketamine repairs reward circuitry to reverse stress-induced anhedonia
Relationships and Sexual Health

New study links why people use pornography to day-to-day couple behavior

July 9, 2025

Daily motivations for pornography use predict how couples treat each other, according to a new study. When people used porn to manage emotions, they were less kind. Shared or pleasure-based use, by contrast, was tied to warmer behavior.

Read moreDetails
Bullshit is deemed more credible if attributed to a scientist, compared to a spiritual guru
Social Psychology

Scientists who relocate more often start Nobel research up to two years earlier

July 8, 2025

A new study of Nobel Prize winners suggests that scientists who change locations or work in multiple places tend to begin their groundbreaking research earlier, highlighting how exposure to diverse environments may help spark innovative, high-impact ideas.

Read moreDetails
The most popular dementia videos on TikTok tend to have the lowest quality, study find
Addiction

People with short-video addiction show altered brain responses during decision-making

July 8, 2025

People who frequently use short-video apps like TikTok may show reduced loss sensitivity and impulsive decision-making, according to a new neuroimaging study that links addictive use patterns to changes in brain activity during risky choices.

Read moreDetails
Being adopted doesn’t change how teens handle love and dating
Relationships and Sexual Health

Being adopted doesn’t change how teens handle love and dating

July 7, 2025

In one of the first large-scale studies on adopted adolescents’ romantic experiences, researchers found that adoption status had little effect on whether teens were dating, how long relationships lasted, or how relationship quality shaped well-being.

Read moreDetails
People with psychopathic traits fail to learn from painful outcomes
Narcissism

National narcissism linked to emotional impairments and dehumanization, new study finds

July 7, 2025

A new study suggests that people who see their nation as uniquely important often struggle with recognizing emotions and experience more anger and contempt—factors that may help explain why they’re more likely to dehumanize both outsiders and fellow citizens.

Read moreDetails
Anxious and avoidant attachment are elevated among individuals with eating disorders
Developmental Psychology

Personality may be a key factor connecting negative parenting experiences to adult challenges

July 7, 2025

New research finds a link between how adults recall being parented and their current life difficulties. These challenges may be partly explained by personality traits, such as lower conscientiousness, that are connected to early family environments and adult well-being.

Read moreDetails
Loneliness predicts an increase in TV viewing for older women, but not for men
Sexism

New study finds link between sexism and denial of male victimhood in relationships

July 6, 2025

New research shows that many people endorse myths that minimize abuse against men in relationships. These myths are closely tied to sexist attitudes about masculinity, gender roles, and who is believed to be a “real” victim of violence.

Read moreDetails

SUBSCRIBE

Go Ad-Free! Click here to subscribe to PsyPost and support independent science journalism!

STAY CONNECTED

LATEST

Scientists discover weak Dems have highest testosterone — but there’s an intriguing twist

Can sunshine make you happier? A massive study offers a surprising answer

New study links why people use pornography to day-to-day couple behavior

Virtual reality meditation eases caregiver anxiety during pediatric hospital stays, with stronger benefits for Spanish speakers

Fascinating new advances in psychedelic science reveal how they may heal the mind

Dysfunction within the sensory processing cortex of the brain is associated with insomnia, study finds

Prenatal exposure to “forever chemicals” linked to autistic traits in children, study finds

Ketamine repairs reward circuitry to reverse stress-induced anhedonia

         
       
  • Contact us
  • Privacy policy
  • Terms and Conditions
[Do not sell my information]

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Cognitive Science Research
  • Mental Health Research
  • Social Psychology Research
  • Drug Research
  • Relationship Research
  • About PsyPost
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy