Stability of Sexual Attractions Across Different Timescales: The Roles of Bisexuality and Gender

Abstract

We examined the stability of same-sex and other-sex attractions among 294 heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 years. Participants used online daily diaries to report the intensity of each day's strongest same-sex and other-sex attraction, and they also reported on changes they recalled experiencing in their attractions since adolescence. We used multilevel dynamical systems models to examine individual differences in the stability of daily attractions (stability, in these models, denotes the tendency for attractions to "self-correct" toward a person-specific setpoint over time). Women's attractions showed less day-to-day stability than men's, consistent with the notion of female sexual fluidity (i.e., heightened erotic sensitivity to situational and contextual influences). Yet, women did not recollect larger post-adolescent changes in sexual attractions than did men, and larger recollected post-adolescent changes did not predict lower day-to-day stability in the sample as a whole. Bisexually attracted individuals recollected larger post-adolescent changes in their attractions, and they showed lower day-to-day stability in attractions to their "less-preferred" gender, compared to individuals with exclusive same-sex or exclusive other-sex attractions. Our results suggest that both gender and bisexuality have independent influences on sexual fluidity, but these influences vary across short versus long timescales, and they also differ for attractions to one's "more-preferred" versus "less-preferred" gender.

Cerebral sex dimorphism and sexual orientation

“…For example, the percentage of nonheterosexual females who are attracted to both sexes is reported to be higher than that of nonheterosexual males (Hamer, Hu, Magnuson, Hu, & Pattatucci, ; Hu et al, ; Vrangalova & Savin‐Williams, ). Sexual orientation appears to be more fluid (i.e., with a higher degree of movement between categories) among females than males (Diamond, ; Diamond, Dickenson, & Blair, ). Also, it has been reported that a significantly higher proportion of gay brothers than heterosexual controls share Xq28 alleles (Hu et al, ), not found among lesbian sisters; these data need further validation.…”

‘You're not sure that you are gay yet’: The perpetuation of the ‘phase’ in the lives of young disabled LGBT + people

“…The survey showed it is usually around three and a half years from realisation of LGBT + identity to 'coming out'. This is also reflected in social and psychological research, notably the work on sexual (gender is either absent or conflated here) fluidity best exemplified in the work of Lisa Diamond (2003Diamond ( , 2006Diamond et al, 2017). Diamond's often large-scale work may be problematic in terms of its categorisation of sexual identity and the conflation of sexual fluidity with the ability to move between same-and opposite-sex attraction, but nevertheless the work represents a real attempt to begin to uncover the fluidity of sexuality (in the lives of lesbian women in this instance).…”

Sexual Experimentation in Heterosexual, Bisexual, Lesbian/Gay, and Questioning Adolescents From Ages 11 to 15

“…However, with increasing societal acceptance of sexual diversity, sexual experimentation with different sexes has become more visible among adolescents, especially among adolescent girls, in the contemporary West (Mercer et al., ). In essence, sexual experimentation with different sexes may reflect sexual fluidity, defined as “a sensitivity to situational, interpersonal, and contextual influences which may facilitate shifts in sexual attraction, behavior, and identity” (Diamond, Dickenson, & Blair, , p. 193). Studying sexual fluidity is important not only because this idea challenges the traditional view portraying sexual orientation as fixed and predetermined before birth (Diamond et al., ), but also because sexual fluidity is associated with mental health in adolescents (e.g., Needham, ).…”

“…In essence, sexual experimentation with different sexes may reflect sexual fluidity, defined as “a sensitivity to situational, interpersonal, and contextual influences which may facilitate shifts in sexual attraction, behavior, and identity” (Diamond, Dickenson, & Blair, , p. 193). Studying sexual fluidity is important not only because this idea challenges the traditional view portraying sexual orientation as fixed and predetermined before birth (Diamond et al., ), but also because sexual fluidity is associated with mental health in adolescents (e.g., Needham, ). However, most research on sexual fluidity has focused on adults, despite recent evidence suggesting that sexual fluidity in adulthood differs from that in adolescence (Diamond et al., ).…”

“…Studying sexual fluidity is important not only because this idea challenges the traditional view portraying sexual orientation as fixed and predetermined before birth (Diamond et al., ), but also because sexual fluidity is associated with mental health in adolescents (e.g., Needham, ). However, most research on sexual fluidity has focused on adults, despite recent evidence suggesting that sexual fluidity in adulthood differs from that in adolescence (Diamond et al., ). To examine sexual fluidity in early‐to‐middle adolescence, we investigate three themes of adolescent sexual experimentation: nonexclusivity of same‐sex sexuality, inconsistency between sexual behavior and sexual orientation identity, and (lack of) sex differences in the first two phenomena.…”