Sexual Minority Women’s Sexual Motivation Around the Time of Ovulation

Diamond, Lisa M.; Wallen, Kim

doi:10.1007/s10508-010-9631-2

Cited by 48 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Sexual orientation is commonly understood as patterned sexual desire that may lead to sexual behavior with members of one or the other sex. However, consonant with the functional explanations to be discussed below, much, if not most, same-sex sexual behavior occurs in those who do not identify as exclusively homosexual in orientation (Diamond & Wallen, 2011;Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948;Kirkpatrick, 2000). Our theoretical focus here is on a broad category of behavior, that which is erotic and occurs with members of the same sex, and its hormonal and motivational underpinnings (which include, but are not limited to, sexual desire); we consider sexual orientation or identity only secondarily, as this is not isomorphic with behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…Diamond and Wallen (2011) found that, in a subset of non-lesbian women who felt that there was a role for choice in their sexual desires, homosexual fantasies and desires decreased around ovulation. Progesterone peaks during the luteal phase, approximately one week after ovulation (Hatcher & Namnoum, 2004), when probability of conception has declined dramatically (Wilcox et al, 2001).…”

Section: Progesteronementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although L.M. Diamond and Wallen (2011) developed an instrument (modeled after Spector, Carey, & Steinberg, 1996) intended to examine female homoerotic motivation, responses were dependent on participants' social circumstances on the day of participation. For both studies, we develop a new measure of motivation to engage in homoerotic behavior.…”

Section: Progesteronementioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Testing the Affiliation Hypothesis of Homoerotic Motivation in Humans: The Effects of Progesterone and Priming

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The frequency of homoerotic behavior among individuals who do not identify as having an exclusively homosexual sexual orientation suggests that such behavior potentially has adaptive value. Here we define homoerotic behavior as intimate erotic contact between members of the same sex and affiliation as the motivation to make and maintain social bonds. Among both male and female nonhuman primates affiliation is one of the main drivers of homoerotic behavior.Correspondingly, in humans, both across cultures and across historical periods, homoerotic behavior appears to play a role in promoting social bonds. However, to date, the affiliation explanation of human homoerotic behavior has not been adequately tested experimentally. We developed a measure of homoerotic motivation with a sample of 244 men and women. Next, we found that, in women (n= 92), homoerotic motivation was positively associated with progesterone, a hormone that has been shown to promote affiliative bonding. Lastly, we explored the effects of affiliative contexts on homoerotic motivation in men (n=59), finding that men in an affiliative priming condition were more likely to endorse engaging in homoerotic behavior compared to those primed with neutral or sexual concepts, and this effect was more pronounced in men with high progesterone. These findings constitute the first experimental support for the affiliation account of the evolution of homoerotic motivation in humans.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Progesteronementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Progesteronementioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Testing the Affiliation Hypothesis of Homoerotic Motivation in Humans: The Effects of Progesterone and Priming

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…That is, increases in estradiol just prior to ovulation might motivate women to engage in frequent sexual behavior with higher quality mates to maximize the probability of conceiving genetically fit offspring. However, research in support of the claim that increases in estradiol motivate women to engage in sex for the explicit purpose of reproduction is mixed; some studies suggest that sexual desire is instead oriented around factors such as pleasure, power, or intimacy (e.g., Diamond and Wallen 2011). For example, women with consistent patterns of same-sex sexuality (compared to inconsistent or fluctuating patterns and bisexuals) experienced significantly larger increases in sexual motivation and desire for sex with other women during peak levels of estrogen (Diamond and Wallen 2011).…”

Section: Sexual Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, research in support of the claim that increases in estradiol motivate women to engage in sex for the explicit purpose of reproduction is mixed; some studies suggest that sexual desire is instead oriented around factors such as pleasure, power, or intimacy (e.g., Diamond and Wallen 2011). For example, women with consistent patterns of same-sex sexuality (compared to inconsistent or fluctuating patterns and bisexuals) experienced significantly larger increases in sexual motivation and desire for sex with other women during peak levels of estrogen (Diamond and Wallen 2011). This implies that increased estrogen during peak fertility is closely related to sexual motivation generally, regardless of whether the resultant sexual activity will produce offspring.…”

Section: Sexual Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Intimate Relationships Then and Now: How Old Hormonal Processes are Influenced by Our Modern Psychology

Wardecker

Smith

Edelstein

et al. 2015

Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this review we argue that relatively recent evolutionary adaptations that are relational or psychological in nature might refocus, dampen, or otherwise shape hormonal processes related to evolutionarily Bolder^behaviors. We focus on the steroid hormones testosterone and estradiol and discuss a) their associations with Bolder relational processes^such as mate competition, dominance and nurturance, and b) the ways in which Bnewer relational processes^such as commitment and attachment relate to these hormones in the context of intimate relationships. We propose that these new relational processes might influence hormones in a manner that enables short-term mating relationships to be transformed into long-term romantic pair-bonds that may be unique to humans.Keywords Mating . Pair-bonds . Testosterone . Estradiol . Evolution . Adaptations Most species, including humans, have evolved some repertoire of behaviors that facilitate short-term mating (i.e., uncommitted sexual relationships that last for a short period of time, Simpson and Gangestad 1991), such as attracting desirable mates, competing for the attention of those mates, and keeping others away from mates once they have been acquired (Gangestad and Simpson 2000). These evolutionarily Boldb ehaviors occur frequently, can be engaged with limited conscious effort (Miller 1998), and are important components of the relationship initiation process.Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology (2015) 1:150-176 DOI 10.1007/s40750-015-0021-9 Britney M. Wardecker and Leigh K. Smith are co-first authors and contributed equally to this work. Only a few species, however, have evolved behaviors designed to deliberately maintain long-term, sexually exclusive relationships. Fewer than 5 % of mammalian species establish long-term, monogamous pair-bonds with adult mating partners (Kleiman 1977). A pairbond can be defined as an enduring and close relationship between two adult members of a species that generally involves sexual activity, intimacy, the desire to be close to one another, and deep emotional investment (Hawkes 2004; van Anders et al. 2011). Among humans, the formation of these types of pair bonds is a meaningful priority. For example, forming intimate connections is reported as one of the most important human motives, sometimes even more so than is meeting basic physiological needs such as securing food and water (Kenrick et al. 2010). Indeed, there may be several benefits to successfully establishing a long-term pair-bond. Pair-bonded partners benefit from increased paternal investment, which in turn promotes offspring health (Barash 1977;Fisher 1998;Kenrick and Trost 1997). The formation of long-term pair-bonds may also decrease the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (Campbell and Loving, in press), and partners who are married or committed to long-term relationships tend to live longer than their unmarried and single counterparts (Drefahl 2012;Van Poppel and Joung 2001).Yet, transforming short-term mating relationships into long-term pair...

show abstract