A Scoping Review of the Influence of Mindfulness on Men’s Sexual Activity

Abstract

Mindfulness practice and mindfulness-based interventions are widely known, especially for women’s sexuality. However, it is currently unknown how this practice affects the experience of male sexuality, possibly due to the existence of pharmacological treatments that are usually the first choice of treatment for men. The objectives of this study are to explore the influence of mindfulness on different components of men’s sexuality from a scoping review of relevant scientific articles existing in the literature. A literature search from 2010 to 2022 was carried out in the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Dialnet, SciELO Citation Index, and Redalyc. Out of the 238 studies, 12 that met the defined selection criteria were selected. The analysis of these studies seems to indicate that the practice of mindfulness favours different variables of male sexuality, such as satisfaction and sexual functioning or genital self-image. Mindfulness-based interventions represent a valuable and promising contribution. No adverse effects were detected from the review of scientific articles considered in this work. Nevertheless, more randomized studies with active control groups are necessary to establish the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in sex therapy for men.

Gender-based differences in sexual satisfaction: A network analysis

“…This nding is consistent with a previous study [23], wherein men were signi cantly more likely to report satisfaction linked to item 4 of the NSSS than women. It has also been previously reported that men's sexual performance issues are related to distractions and a lack of attention to sexual stimuli during sexual activity [40], highlighting the importance of mindfulness during sexual activity for men's SS. In contrast, for women, the most central node is item nsss19 (The variety of your sexual activities), indicating that the diversi cation of sexual experiences is crucial for women's SS.…”

“…Therefore, it may be useful to consider these as priorities in interventions to improve SS. For example, practicing mindfulness, which has proven to be an effective technique for enhancing SS and functioning, could be especially bene cial for men by helping them concentrate during sexual activity [40]. For women, encouraging creativity and variety in sexual life could be more bene cial, helping diversify sexual experiences and enhance satisfaction.…”