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Sex is a big deal. It can change how people see their partner. Or themselves.
Now research finds that young men and young women react very differently to that first sexual encounter. The research appears in the Journal of Adolescence.
Scientists studied a group of 100 undergrads who had their first sexual intercourse at some point during their four years of college. The researchers rated the students on their overall satisfaction with their appearance four separate times over these four years. And they found that men thought of themselves as more attractive just after losing their virginity than they had before, while women had the opposite experience: After sex for the first time, their body confidence dropped slightly.
The researchers think that men may get a boost in self-esteem from feeling desired. And losing virginity is a societal benchmark for masculinity. But for young women, who tend to be more sensitive to body image, first sex might increase the insecurities brewing since puberty.
Over time, however, women’s body image improved. And men’s perception of their own attractiveness decreased slightly. Maybe when they realize that the Axe body spray doesn’t work in real life like it does in commercials.
—Christie Nicholson
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16 Comments
Add CommentMain study, why same rigor not used for the claim about Axe?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJust the other day I was similarly accosted: I refute thee anecdotally and demand that a study from a respected, peer-reviewed journal be provided.
Future study... how many of these students having sex for the first time continued to date that same partner?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI imagine most people do not marry the first person they have sex with. Which means that the relationship probably ended after the first encounter. So following that logic...
Men are programmed to sow their seed as much as possible to increase their chances of passing along their genetic identity. Having sex boosts their image by reinforcing their preprogrammed identity.
Women are programmed to form an emotional attachment to a guy after having sex, in order to gain his support in raising potential children. When the guy leaves, it temporarily damages their self-esteem.
To summarize, I need more sex.
We need a "scientific" analysis to tell us that getting laid is a plus for the male ego and problematic for the female? Wow!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"It is very important especially for males to discharge the contents of their seminal vesicles when they are full." That's got to be the dumbest statement I've heard in a long time. The body is perfectly capable of reabsorbing inactive sperm which composes a very small part of the seminal fluid. You won't explode for lack of ejaculation.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn response to Laertes, "You won't explode for lack of ejaculation", I respectfully request that the jury of 13-year-old boys be polled. I have VERY strong suspicions that at least 95% would say explosion is a clear and present danger.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt would be interesting to see this study repeated in a gay and lesbian subpopulation, where gender roles are viewed somewhat differently and reproduction is not a driving force, at least not consciously. Self-esteem issues are particularly sensitive among gay and lesbian youth, and some statistics indicate a higher rate of drug use, suicide, and sexual promiscuity. Being gay myself and having lost my virginity at 15, I cannot say my self-image changed all that radically afterward, but I would imagine some of my peers would have very different answers. This study (the article does not indicate whether it was exclusive to heterosexuals) could also be conducted in a subset of high school-aged students and I expect the results would be broader, that is, the range of extremes would expand.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisLaertes: In large communities we get young adults who refrain from masturbation for what ever reason. Go talk to your local doctor. These problems occur in males and females.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI had lost my virginity at the tender age of ten, long before I was in high school and long before I was in an undergrad in college. So when these young studs and studettes finally surrender their much cherished viginity to the craves of and drunkiness, they, if they are male,them, if they are female, has in increase in super ego and the other has a decrease in super ego; resulting in a displaced ID. Young bucks who had lost their viginity in academia while sowing their wild oats to the four winds of Cardinal Knowledge, eagerly stroke their libidos in the Halls of Narciccus. While the hearts of young bucks soars to the winged feet of Mercury, the Celestial Virgins libido sinks into the quagmire of dispair where only Vogue can pull a out of her lack of self esteem or a unlimited card at Macy.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWas it good for you as it was good for me?
Don't forget the towel on the door.
Kristi: Why do you think females suffer a loss of self esteem by indulging in sex. It is just a normal activity human indulge in. Today every young lady knows how not to get pregnant, besides pregnancy is not that easy, especially if the female is exposed to contaminants like bisphenol-A, ubiquitous in our environment.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisReligious indoctrination of children may account for many cases of feeling a sense of loss. Religious indoctrination is unfair to every child who is denied the opportunity to rationally decide things for himself/herself as and when his/her mind has developed to the point when he/she can. Parents do not have any right to impose their religious beliefs on their children.
The desire to have sex has nothing to do with procreation, it is simply a satisfying indulgence. Sex satisfies a normal bodily need. The need may result in pregnancy, but not so for most acts of sexual intercourse. Its good exercise too.
Couple of sweeping value judgements casually presented as fact. "Parents have no right to impose religious beliefs on children" and "desire for sex has nothing to do with procreation." These are opinions widely open to argument along many fronts.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisXardox: Please present a few. I am a rationalist, and need to be convinced. The child is a developing individual, with a mind of his/her own, parents do not have the authority to stifle this development by imposing their views and preventing the thinking process in the child.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRegarding indulgence in sex, most sex acts are for pleasure, the sale of contraceptives is adequate proof of this fact.
To verify that it's not just a popular false perception, yes.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are lots of things that "everyone knew" by reputation that have been disproven through actual observation (science), and lots that have proven true. Until they are tested, the bits of folk wisdom should rationally be treated as untested hypotheses, potentially disproven. And even if what "everybody knows" is proven true, the scientific testing and observation can potentially uncover previously unknown, and potentially useful, mechanisms behind the phenomena, or even clues about other, seemingly unrelated, phenomena.
Culture. It's a big part of why we have such wonderful toys/tools, and parents teaching their kids their own views is all part of it, or at least inextricably comes along with it. (I guess you might say culture is another example of lack of intelligent design.)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisRegarding sex for pleasure, It is commonly held that sex without contraception is more pleasurable than with, both due to physical factors (sensation) and psychological (interrupting the mood). Many do have sex for pleasure without contraception for that reason, or enough to be a problem, anyway. For some, the risk of conception (or in some few cases even STDs) can even heighten the excitement & pleasure, much as sex in a semi-public place might introduce the thrill of the risk of discovery.
My point is that if pleasure was the sole, short-sighted, consideration, there might well be no contraception. Just expanding on your analysis.
Johnay: Culture is a constantly evolving set of beliefs, most often not based on any rational analysis. Our DNA, RNA and other genetic inheritances do not make us the individuals we are, they are just the blue-prints for the structure of our physical organs and their functionality.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe individual mental personality is largely created by the mother from the time of conception. (shockingly, cells interchange and survive across the placenta in both mother and child) The mother makes her sons into the individual she would like to have for her mate, daughters to an extent link to their fathers or some other male but males are not good at moulding the individual.
You are talking about pleasure, that is not restricted to sexual activities. Killing, torture, or being tortured are a great source of pleasure for some. The thrill comes from taking risk, that is why bungee jumping is so popular.
I have presented a short summary of my beliefs if you look they are no longer part of the comments you see, though responses and ongoing debate still is, censorship is live and well. Simply put you have not read my original comment.
We are living in an extremely overpopulated world, Overpopulation and its impact on the biosphere has brought on the sixth extinction. It will run its course and most of the mega species including ourselves will be extinct in a few hundred years. If you read the findings of James W Prescott see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lctBGAa1IwE
you will realise a free and open sex life with multiple partners is the ideal way to live.
Go out and have sex with somebody you like or someone who likes you, even if you don't care for the person, its good for both.
"Today every young lady knows how not to get pregnant"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThis is not correct for a wide swath of females. Many still believe that one cannot get pregnant the first time having sex or that coitus interruptus is just as good as any other form of birth control.
It's also false that sex is good exercise. Sex is good for about 150 calories burned per hour, give or take, but most sex doesn't last nearly that long. That rate is comparable to a 60kg person taking a slow walk (about 3km/h).
When I talk about society, I do not include primitive uneducated societies, in such societies nature controls population levels, till you get religious idiots interfering creating conflict and refugees. In every western culture pregnancy avoidance is taught at school.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe females you encounter seem to be uneducated. Education is now a primary requirement for existence. Why worry about exercise, sex is good fun, indulge & with as many partners as you can.