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Study

Anxiety About Sexual Communication Linked to Less Sexual Enjoyment

C. Price

Written by: C. Price

C. Price

C. Price is part of DatingAdvice.com's content team. She writes advice articles, how-to guides, and studies — all relating to dating, relationships, love, sex, and more.

Edited by: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian Guevara-Castro brings more than 30 years of journalism experience to ensure DatingAdvice articles have been edited for overall clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement. She has worked at The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, The Gwinnett Daily News, and The Gainesville Sun covering lifestyle topics.

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Can talking about sex more openly and more frequently with your partner during sex lead to a healthier, happier and more satisfying sex life? A new study coming out of Cleveland State University suggests that is the case.

Researcher Elizabeth Babin set out to discover “why people are communicating and why they’re not communicating” with their partners about their shared sex lives. Babin surveyed 207 people, 119 from online dating sites and 88 undergraduates (with an average age of 29), and asked them about any hesitancy they felt with sexual communication, sexual satisfaction and how much communication (verbal and nonverbal) they engaged in while having sex.

The study found that anxiety surrounding sexual communication related to a lower level of sexual enjoyment and lower volumes of sharing sexual communication, while comfort with sexual communication was linked with increased communication, higher sexual self-esteem and greater sexual satisfaction.

 

“Both verbal and nonverbal cues were as

effective as making direct statements.”

Babin explained the nature of the sexual communication mattered little, as both verbal and nonverbal cues (such as moaning or shifting deliberately during sex) were as effective as making direct statements about what feels good and what doesn’t, giving shyer individuals an easier way to develop comfort asking for what they want.

Previously, most studies related to sexual communication focused on the public health aspect of the problem, noting that anxiety regarding sexual communication often translated into condom-less sex and other potentially risky behaviors.

Babin says she wants to continue her focus on sexual communication’s link to sexual satisfaction, especially how to increase both.

Photo source: bp.blogspot.com

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