| Research has traditionally cited pleasure and reproduction as the primary reasons to engage in sex (e.g. Masters & Johnson, 1966). However, recent research indicates that men and women engage in sex for a variety of psychosocial reasons (e.g. Meston & Buss, 2007). The current study investigated the impact of gender and relationship duration on the reasons men and women engage in sex within couple relationships. Five hundred and sixty heterosexual men and women completed an online questionnaire assessing reasons for sex. Women reported engaging in sex more frequently for love and emotion reasons while men reported engaging in sex more often for reasons related to attraction and experience seeking. Participants in shorter relationships reported engaging in sex more frequently for reasons related to attraction and experience seeking than did participants in longer relationships. The limitations of the study, along with implications of the results are discussed. |
