TitleBody satisfaction and couple's daily sexual experience: a dyadic perspective.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsZhaoyang, R, M Cooper, L
JournalArch Sex Behav
Volume42
Issue6
Pagination985-98
Date Published2013 Aug
ISSN1573-2800
KeywordsAdolescent, Adult, Body Image, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Personal Satisfaction, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners
Abstract

<p>Although it is widely believed that body satisfaction positively affects sexual experience, research on this topic has been limited by an almost exclusive focus on women and on individuals and by an overreliance on cross-sectional self-report data. To address these shortcomings, the current study used 1,598 daily sex reports completed by 144 couples over an average of 3 weeks to investigate the impact of satisfaction with one's own and one's partner's body on sexual experience. Results indicated that an individual's satisfaction with his or her own body was not as important to the overall quality of sexual experience as one's satisfaction with the partner's body or as the partner's satisfaction with the individual's body. Moreover, although effects were generally similar for men and women, women's sexual outcomes were more strongly shaped by partner satisfaction with her body than the reverse. Results highlight the need to adopt a dyadic perspective in efforts to understand the effects of body satisfaction on sexual experience.</p>

DOI10.1007/s10508-013-0082-4
Alternate JournalArch Sex Behav
PubMed ID23546890
Grant ListK02 MH069118 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States