Findings of a new study reveal that women prioritize the emotional aspects of sexual satisfaction compared to men, who find physical aspects more important.
Previous research on the correlation between sexual satisfaction and the quality of life suggests that positive implications are overall happiness and satisfaction with the relationship. In contrast, lack of sexual satisfaction leads to depression and anxiety.
The authors of the current study maintain that previous studies mostly failed to differentiate the two sides of sexual experience—the intrapersonal and the interpersonal. The intrapersonal aspect relates to internal experiences such as arousal and pleasure, while the interpersonal one refers to the emotional connection.
In their study, the research team invited 188 adult participants engaged in a romantic relationship to complete the New Sexual Satisfaction Scale (NSS), as well as a survey involving five scenarios related to the quality of life—life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, depression, anxiety, and stress.
The team found that the intrapersonal factor dictates the quality of life in all scenarios except relationship satisfaction, where intrapersonal and interpersonal factors were equally important.
Moreover, findings revealed gender-based differences. Men marked internal satisfaction as the most significant determiner of each quality of life scenario. At the same time, women considered physical and emotional satisfaction equally relevant.
Since more than half of the participant sample was women with an average age of 26, the authors hope to conduct further studies on a more diverse participant group.
