Sex Unleashes Your Tongue: Sexual Priming Motivates Self-Disclosure to a New Acquaintance and Interest in Future Interactions

Abstract

Research has demonstrated the contribution of sexual activity to the quality of ongoing relationships. Nevertheless, less attention has been given to how activation of the sexual system affects relationship-initiation processes. Three studies used complementary methodologies to examine the effect of sexual priming on self-disclosure, a relationship-promoting behavior. In Study 1, participants were subliminally exposed to sexual stimuli (vs. neutral stimuli), and then disclosed over Instant Messenger a personal event to an opposite-sex stranger. Results showed that merely thinking about sex, even without being aware of it, encouraged self-disclosure. Study 2 replicated these findings in relatively naturalistic conditions (live face-to-face interactions following supraliminal video priming). Study 3 extended these findings, indicating that sexual priming facilitated self-disclosure, which, in turn, increased interest in future interactions with the stranger. Together, these findings suggest that activation of the sexual system encourages the use of strategies that allow people to become closer to potential partners.

Your Soul Spills Out: The Creative Act Feels Self-Disclosing

“…Balanced against the risks of self-disclosure are potential rewards such as increased intimacy and liking between partners (Collins & Miller, 1994; Laurenceau et al, 1998). The gradual disclosure of personal information can draw a desired partner into a closer relationship (Birnbaum et al, 2017; Reis & Shaver, 1988). Taking this trade-off into account, self-disclosure has been modeled as a decision-making process in which people weigh both the risks and potential rewards of disclosure before choosing whether and how much to disclose and to whom (Omarzu, 2000).…”

Fueled by desire: Sexual activation facilitates the enactment of relationship-initiating behaviors

“…Beyond associating sex with attachment formation and maintenance, people also act accordingly by being more inclined to use strategies that instill a sense of intimacy with prospective sexual partners (e.g., disclosing intimate personal information) or with current sexual partners (e.g., resolving conflicts constructively) following sexual priming (Birnbaum et al, 2017; Gillath et al, 2008). Overall, as suggested by longitudinal studies, sex may operate as an attachment-facilitating process that encourages investment in current relationships.…”

“…Relying on the theorizing that the sexual system has been coopted by evolutionary processes to promote enduring bonds between romantic partners (Birnbaum, 2018; Eastwick & Finkel, 2012), the present research sought to provide direct evidence for the hypothesis that activation of the sexual system elicits not only sexual advances and approach tendencies but also specific nonsexual behaviors that foster relationship initiation. Recent research investigating the effects of sexual priming on relationship goal pursuit has already found that people reveal more personal information to a prospective partner following activation of the sexual behavioral system (Birnbaum et al, 2017). In the present studies, we aimed to extend this research by exploring whether sexual activation during initial face-to-face encounters with a potential partner predicts the enactment of other verbal relationship-promoting behaviors as well as nonverbal behaviors that signal warmth and contact readiness.…”

“…Few studies have addressed the possibility that activation of the sexual system has systematic effects on the motivation to engage in nonsexual but relationship-promoting behaviors (e.g., self-disclosure, sacrificing for the partner; Birnbaum et al, 2017; Gillath, Mikulincer, Birnbaum, & Shaver, 2008). A limitation is that these studies relied mainly on either hypothetical beliefs about dyadic interactions or online interactions.…”

‘Nothing ventured, nothing gained’

“…Romantic love is universal among humans (Fletcher et al, 2015): Over and above a biological imperative to find sexual partners, humans have a cross-culturally consistent and likely evolutionarily based motivation to form stable romantic bonds with their partners. Feelings like passion and sexual desire are not only rewarding in the short-term; they powerfully motivate people to become physically and psychologically closer to the target of their affection, facilitating long-term bonding (e.g., Birnbaum et al, 2017;Diamond, 2014;Gonzaga, Keltner, Londahl, & Smith, 2001). Once in a long-term relationship, people tend to enjoy a multitude of benefits such as higher psychological well-being (Kim & McKendry, 2002), higher satisfaction with life (Holt-Lunstad, Birmingham, & Jones, 2008), and better physical health (Schoenborn, 2004).…”