Agreement of Self-Reported and Genital Measures of Sexual Arousal in Men and Women: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The assessment of sexual arousal in men and women informs theoretical studies of human sexuality and provides a method to assess and evaluate the treatment of sexual dysfunctions and paraphilias. Understanding measures of arousal is, therefore, paramount to further theoretical and practical advances in the study of human sexuality. In this meta-analysis, we review research to quantify the extent of agreement between self-reported and genital measures of sexual arousal, to determine if there is a gender difference in this agreement, and to identify theoretical and methodological moderators of subjective-genital agreement. We identified 132 peer- or academically-reviewed laboratory studies published between 1969 and 2007 reporting a correlation between self-reported and genital measures of sexual arousal, with total sample sizes of 2,505 women and 1,918 men. There was a statistically significant gender difference in the agreement between self-reported and genital measures, with men (r = .66) showing a greater degree of agreement than women (r = .26). Two methodological moderators of the gender difference in subjective-genital agreement were identified: stimulus variability and timing of the assessment of self-reported sexual arousal. The results have implications for assessment of sexual arousal, the nature of gender differences in sexual arousal, and models of sexual response.

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

“…In laboratory studies, self-identified heterosexual women, on average, have been shown to have a generalized genital response to both sexes, while heterosexual men have been shown to have a modest genital response to male sexual stimuli (e.g., Chivers, Rieger, Latty, & Bailey, 2004;Chivers, Seto, Lalumiere, Laan, & Grimbos, 2010;Rieger, Chivers, & Bailey, 2005). This has led a number of investigators to propose that same-sex sexual behavior may have some direct adaptive value (Kirkpatrick, 2000;Muscarella, Cevallos, Siler-Knogl, & Peterson, 2005).…”

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“…This fact was reinforced by studies' descriptions that the biggest problem in married women living in a stable union was the decrease in desire [22,23]. The answer for this is based on single women being more sexuality motivated by the instinctive predisposition to search for sexual intercourse and to find passion in the relationships [22,23]. Women in stable and long-lasting relations generally present the influence of physical and mental fatigue due to working hours, domestic functions and those related to motherhood, besides the professional activities [24].…”

“…The score values on the FSFI desire domain were higher in women registered at gyms with both gender frequenters, and single women with lower mean age (approximately 32 years old). This fact was reinforced by studies' descriptions that the biggest problem in married women living in a stable union was the decrease in desire [22,23]. The answer for this is based on single women being more sexuality motivated by the instinctive predisposition to search for sexual intercourse and to find passion in the relationships [22,23].…”

Gender-Specificity in Viewing Time Among Heterosexual Women

“…In addition, studies suggest that women's genital responses are automatically initiated by exposure to sexual stimuli, whether or not these stimuli are preferred (Chivers, 2005;Chivers et al, 2010). Indeed, there are reports of women's genital responses and orgasms during sexual assault (Levin & van Berlo, 2004); furthermore, studies have shown that women experience genital responses to sexual threat stimuli (Both, Everaerd, & Laan, 2003;Both & Laan, 2007;Laan, Everaerd, & Evers, 1995;Suschinsky et al, 2009).…”