For this amazing study, a team of researchers compiled a list of 237 reasons why people might have sex, and then asked college students to rank these reasons in order of importance. The results were:
Men's top 10 reasons:
1. I was attracted to the person.2. It feels good.3. I wanted to experience physical pleasure.4. It’s fun.5. I wanted to show my affection to the person.6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.7. I was “horny.”8. I wanted to express my love for the person.9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm.10. I wanted to please my partner.Women's top 10 reasons:
1. I was attracted to the person.2. I wanted to experience physical pleasure.3. It feels good.4. I wanted to show my affection to the person.5. I wanted to express my love for the person.6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.7. I was “horny.”8. It’s fun.9. I realized I was in love.10. I was “in the heat of the moment.”
Reasons why this study is 2 pounds of poo in a 1-pound bag include:
1. Many of these reasons are the same thing. I "I was horny" different from "I was in the heat of the moment" or "I was sexually aroused"? Is "It feels good" different from "I wanted to experience physical pleasure"? A reason's place in this list is therefore largely a function of how many other similar reasons there were. If "The person was hot" and "The person was sexy" were added to the list, would "I was attracted to the person" still make the top spot?
2. People don't know why they do things. If I'm horny, I may think my partner is more attractive than otherwise (well actually, there's no "may" about it). Conversely, being attracted to a specific person may make me horny. Being in love also makes one's partner seem more attractive, and being in an intense relationship also increases the probability of frequent sex, which may A) make me hornier, and B) make my partner seem more attractive because I know she's available. If you give me a survey and ask me my reasons for having sex, I may list the thing I'm thinking about - e.g. my partner's attractiveness - instead of the real underlying reason. Actually, one reason I think is rather prominent in real life - the social standing that comes from having sex partners - doesn't even make it into the top 10.
3. Motivations can't be ranked. If you don't believe me, try to answer the question "Why do you get up in the morning?" Is it because you have to go to work? Or are there things you want to do during the day? People you want to meet? Or is the prospect of lying in bed all day simply somehow unpleasant? Most likely, all of these reasons are operating at once. Could you rank them in terms of importance? Maybe you could on any given day, but how about in general? Probably not.
Think about this. If attractiveness and physical pleasure are the primary motivating forces behind sex, why don't more women visit attractive male prostitutes?
The truth is that a large variety of motivations contribute to people's desire to have sex. It's hard to have sex without sex drive, which is caused to varying degrees by hormonal horniness, the desire for pleasure, and the attractiveness (including psychological attractiveness) of a partner. But, given the choice between a large variety of sexual partners, many people will choose someone they have an emotional connection to. That sequence of causality will never be captured in a study like this one.
Thus, this study proves conclusively that yes, little Timmy, there is such a thing as a stupid question...
1. Many of these reasons are the same thing. I "I was horny" different from "I was in the heat of the moment" or "I was sexually aroused"? Is "It feels good" different from "I wanted to experience physical pleasure"? A reason's place in this list is therefore largely a function of how many other similar reasons there were. If "The person was hot" and "The person was sexy" were added to the list, would "I was attracted to the person" still make the top spot?
2. People don't know why they do things. If I'm horny, I may think my partner is more attractive than otherwise (well actually, there's no "may" about it). Conversely, being attracted to a specific person may make me horny. Being in love also makes one's partner seem more attractive, and being in an intense relationship also increases the probability of frequent sex, which may A) make me hornier, and B) make my partner seem more attractive because I know she's available. If you give me a survey and ask me my reasons for having sex, I may list the thing I'm thinking about - e.g. my partner's attractiveness - instead of the real underlying reason. Actually, one reason I think is rather prominent in real life - the social standing that comes from having sex partners - doesn't even make it into the top 10.
3. Motivations can't be ranked. If you don't believe me, try to answer the question "Why do you get up in the morning?" Is it because you have to go to work? Or are there things you want to do during the day? People you want to meet? Or is the prospect of lying in bed all day simply somehow unpleasant? Most likely, all of these reasons are operating at once. Could you rank them in terms of importance? Maybe you could on any given day, but how about in general? Probably not.
Think about this. If attractiveness and physical pleasure are the primary motivating forces behind sex, why don't more women visit attractive male prostitutes?
The truth is that a large variety of motivations contribute to people's desire to have sex. It's hard to have sex without sex drive, which is caused to varying degrees by hormonal horniness, the desire for pleasure, and the attractiveness (including psychological attractiveness) of a partner. But, given the choice between a large variety of sexual partners, many people will choose someone they have an emotional connection to. That sequence of causality will never be captured in a study like this one.
Thus, this study proves conclusively that yes, little Timmy, there is such a thing as a stupid question...
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