We explored themes related to sexual desire (lust) and romantic desire (love) in the lyrics of popular music over the past 40 years. We examined whether there have been changes in the prevalence of lust and love themes and changes in how these themes inter-relate in music lyrics over time. The study sample consisted of the top 40 songs of Billboard Year End Hot 100 single songs for every 5 years from 1971 to 2011 (N = 360). There was a linear decrease over time in the proportion of songs with a love theme and in the proportion of songs with a combination of lust and love themes. In contrast, there was a significant increase in the proportion of songs with a theme focusing on lust in the absence of love. Themes of lust in the absence of love were especially prevalent in hip-hop/rap music, although music genre did not account for the changing themes over time. These shifts in themes found in popular music may both influence cultural norms and reflect a cultural shift toward acceptance of sexuality outside of love relationships.

Although masturbation is one of the most common sexual behaviours, ambivalent cultural attitudes toward this behaviour persist. We examined how masturbation is portrayed in popular North American movies as a means of documenting current social norms regarding masturbation. The sample consisted of 44 movies from 2005 to 2010 in which a target character was shown masturbating. Coders assessed several aspects of these portrayals, including the positivity of the scene, initiating factors (e.g., watching pornography, boredom), and the outcome of the masturbation (e.g., interruption, sexual relief). As well, we explored potential gender differences in these portrayals. Masturbation was generally shown in a somewhat negative light, especially when engaged in by male characters. It was portrayed as a substitute for preferred partnered sex and as often leading to negative outcomes such as being caught or interrupted. The results suggest that movie portrayals of masturbation may reinforce misconceptions about masturbation and its outcomes.