New research suggests that men and women differ when it comes to the aspects of sexual satisfaction that are most important to their quality of life. The findings, published in the journal Sexual and Relationship Therapy, suggest that satisfaction with internal experiences like physical pleasure is more important for men, whereas satisfaction with relational components like emotional connection is more important for women.
Numerous psychology studies have found that sexual satisfaction predicts outcomes related to quality of life. For example, sexual satisfaction is positively tied to relationship satisfaction and happiness and negatively tied to depression and anxiety. However, the overall findings suggest some nuance to these relationships.
While some studies have presented strong correlations between sexual satisfaction and quality of life, others have uncovered only weak relationships. Study authors Kyle R. Stephenson and his colleagues proposed that this discrepancy may result from differences in how researchers have conceptualized sexual satisfaction.
When measuring sexual satisfaction, few studies have distinguished between two distinct aspects of the sexual experience. The intrapersonal aspects of sex refer to the internal experience, such as one’s own pleasure and arousal. The interpersonal aspects of sex are the relational components, such as romance and the sharing of emotions. Stephenson and his team say that the relationship between sexual satisfaction and quality of life may depend on which aspects of sex are being considered.
To explore this, the study authors distributed questionnaires among 188 adults currently in relationships. The average age of the sample was 26, and 62% of participants were women. The participants completed the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSS), which addresses both the “ego-centered” and “partner-centered” aspects of sexual satisfaction. Participants also completed measures of five quality of life outcomes — life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and stress.
The researchers conducted multiple sets of comparisons to determine how each aspect of sexual satisfaction was related to each quality of life outcome. They also looked for gender differences in these relationships.
Across the sample, intrapersonal sexual satisfaction was a significant predictor of quality of life, while interpersonal sexual satisfaction was not. The only exception was for relationship satisfaction, which was predicted by both intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects. Interestingly, when isolating the effects for men and women, differences emerged.
For men, the internal components of sex appeared to be most important — intrapersonal sexual satisfaction was a significant predictor of every quality of life outcome while interpersonal sexual satisfaction was not. For women, the results were less straightforward. Neither aspect of sexual satisfaction predicted depression, both aspects predicted relationship satisfaction and life satisfaction, and only interpersonal sexual satisfaction predicted anxiety and stress.
One interpretation of these results is that both facets of sexual satisfaction are important for women, while the internal experience is the stronger concern for men. While this conclusion could suggest that men are less concerned about their partner’s sexual experiences, the researchers note that there may be alternative explanations. For example, men might be less aware of their partner’s sexual experiences — possibly because sexual stereotypes dissuade women from communicating their sexual preferences and experiences with their partners.
Stephenson and colleagues say their study sample was small and non-diverse and that future studies should be conducted among larger and more varied samples. In addition, the findings were correlational, and longitudinal and experimental research will be needed to shed light on the extent that sexual satisfaction contributes to quality of life.
The study, “Gender differences in the association between sexual satisfaction and quality of life”, was authored by Kyle R. Stephenson, Camryn Pickworth, and Parker S. Jones.
