Psychologists have finally found something very much worthwhile to study.

Cindy Meston and David Buss, of the University of Texas, write in the August 2007 issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior that most scientists assume that the reasons for having sex are simple: “to reproduce, to experience sexual pleasure, or to relieve sexual tension.”

However, nobody else has bothered to look much further; so they have investigated, and after studying more than 2,000 men and women, they discovered 237 reasons why people have sex.

In a further experiment, participants (N=1,549) were then asked to evaluate the degree to which each of the 237 reasons had led them to have sexual intercourse, and the Psychologists were thus able to group the reasons into four main factors, and thirteen sub-factors: I’ve summarised these in the table below, for ease of reference.

Several reasons seemed quite similar, and there was no rating as to which items could be most useful to a Seducer, or how to exploit these reasons. Neither was there an indication as to whether the reasons given originated from men or women.

However, for the curious, here are the reasons they published in their study:

• An erotic movie had me turned on.
• Because of a bet.
• Everyone else was having sex.
• I’m addicted to sex.
• I am a sex addict.
• I could brag to other people about my sexual experience.
• I desired emotional closeness (i.e. intimacy).
• I didn’t know how to say “no.”
• I didn’t want to “lose” the person.
• I didn’t want to disappoint the person.
• I felt guilty.
• I felt insecure.
• I felt jealous.
• I felt like it was my duty.
• I felt obligated to.
• I felt rebellious.
• I felt sorry for the person.
• I got “carried away.”
• I had no self-control.
• I had not had sex in a long time.
• I hadn’t had sex for a while.
• I knew the person was usually “out of my league.”
• I needed another “notch on my belt.”
• I realized I was in love.
• I saw the person naked and could not resist.
• I thought it would boost my social status.
• I thought it would help “trap” a new partner.
• I thought it would help me to fall asleep.
• I thought it would make me feel healthy.
• I thought it would relax me.
• I wanted a “spiritual” experience.
• I wanted my partner to notice me.
• I wanted the adventure/excitement.
• I wanted the attention.
• I wanted the experience.
• I wanted the person to feel good about himself/herself.
• I wanted the person to love me.
• I wanted the pure pleasure.
• I wanted to “gain control” of the person.
• I wanted to “possess” the person.
• I wanted to achieve an orgasm.
• I wanted to act out a fantasy.
• I wanted to avoid hurting someone else’s feelings.
• I wanted to be nice.
• I wanted to be popular.
• I wanted to be used or degraded.
• I wanted to become more focused on work (sexual thoughts are distracting.)
• I wanted to become one with another person.
• I wanted to boost my self-esteem.
• I wanted to brag to my friends about my conquests.
• I wanted to break-up another’s relationship.
• I wanted to break-up my relationship
• I wanted to break up a rival’s relationship by having sex with his/her partner.
• I wanted to burn calories.
• I wanted to celebrate a birthday or anniversary or special occasion.
• I wanted to celebrate something.
• I wanted to change the topic of conversation.
• I wanted to communicate at a deeper level
• I wanted to decrease my partner’s desire to have sex with someone else.
• I wanted to defy my parents.
• I wanted to display submission.
• I wanted to dominate the other person.
• I wanted to end the relationship.
• I wanted to enhance my reputation.
• I wanted to ensure the relationship was “committed.”
• I wanted to even the score with a cheating partner.
• I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.
• I wanted to experiment with new experiences.
• I wanted to express my love for the person.
• I wanted to feel attractive.
• I wanted to feel closer to God.
• I wanted to feel connected to the person.
• I wanted to feel feminine.
• I wanted to feel loved.
• I wanted to feel masculine.
• I wanted to feel older.
• I wanted to feel young.
• I wanted to forget about my problems.
• I wanted to fulfil a previous promise to my partner.
• I wanted to gain acceptance from my friends.
• I wanted to gain access to that person’s friend.
• I wanted to get a favour from someone.
• I wanted to get a job.
• I wanted to get a partner to express love.
• I wanted to get a promotion.
• I wanted to get a raise.
• I wanted to get a special favour from someone.
• I wanted to get back at my partner for having cheated on me.
• I wanted to get even with someone (i.e. revenge).
• I wanted to get my partner to stay with me.
• I wanted to get out of doing something.
• I wanted to get rid of a headache.
• I wanted to get rid of aggression.
• I wanted to get the most out of life.
• I wanted to give someone a sexually transmitted disease (e.g. Herpes, AIDS).
• I wanted to have a child.
• I wanted to have more sex than my friends.
• I wanted to have something to tell my friends.
• I wanted to help my partner forget about his/her problems.
• I wanted to hurt an enemy.
• I wanted to hurt/humiliate the person.
• I wanted to impress friends.
• I wanted to improve my sexual skills.
• I wanted to increase my emotional bond by having sex.
• I wanted to increase the number of sex partners I had experienced.
• I wanted to intensify my relationship.
• I wanted to keep my partner from straying.
• I wanted to keep my partner happy.
• I wanted to keep my partner satisfied.
• I wanted to keep warm.
• I wanted to lift my partner’s spirits.
• I wanted to lose my inhibitions.
• I wanted to make a conquest.
• I wanted to make money.
• I wanted to make my partner feel powerful.
• I wanted to make someone else jealous.
• I wanted to make the person feel batter about himself/herself.
• I wanted to make up after a fight.
• I wanted to manipulate him/her into doing something for me.
• I wanted to please my partner.
• I wanted to prevent a break-up.
• I wanted to punish myself.
• I wanted to put the passion back into my relationship.
• I wanted to raise my self-esteem.
• I wanted to reaffirm my sexual orientation.
• I wanted to release anxiety/stress.
• I wanted to release tension.
• I wanted to relieve “blue balls.”
• I wanted to relieve me menstrual cramps.
• I wanted to reproduce.
• I wanted to return a favour.
• I wanted to satisfy a compulsion.
• I wanted to say “goodbye.”
• I wanted to say “I’m sorry.”
• I wanted to say “I’ve missed you.”
• I wanted to say “Thank you.”
• I wanted to see if I could get the other person into bed.
• I wanted to see what all the fuss is about.
• I wanted to see what it would be like to have sex while stoned (e.g. on marijuana or some other drug).
• I wanted to see what it would be like to have sex with another person.
• I wanted to see whether sex with a different partner would feel different or better.
• I wanted to show my affection to the person.
• I wanted to stop my partner’s nagging.
• I wanted to submit to my partner.
• I wanted to test my compatibility with a new partner.
• I wanted to try out new sexual techniques or positions.
• I wanted to welcome someone home.
• I was “horny.”
• I was “in the heat of the moment.”
• I was afraid my partner would have an affair if I didn’t have sex with him/her.
• I was afraid to say “no” due to the possibility of physical harm.
• I was attracted to the person.
• I was bored.
• I was competing with someone to “get the person.”
• I was curious about my sexual abilities.
• I was curious about sex.
• I was curious about what the person was like in bed.
• I was drunk.
• I was easier to “go all the way” than to stop.
• I was frustrated and needed relief.
• I was mad at my partner, so I had sex with someone else.
• I was married and you’re supposed to.
• I was on the “rebound” from another relationship.
• I was physically forced to.
• I was pressured into doing it.
• I was seduced.
• I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.
• I was slumming.
• I was tired of being a virgin.
• I was trying to “get over” and earlier person/relationship.
• I was turned on by the sexual conversation.
• I was under the influence of drugs.
• I was verbally coerced into doing it.
• It’s considered “taboo” by society.
• It’s exciting, adventurous.
• It’s fun.
• It became a habit.
• It feels good.
• It just happened.
• It just seemed like the think to do.
• It seemed like good exercise.
• It seemed like the natural next step.
• It was a favour to someone.
• It was a romantic setting.
• It was a special occasion.
• It was an initiation rite to a club or organization.
• It was expected of me.
• It was part of the relationship “routine.”
• It was the only way my partner would spend time with me.
• It would allow me to “get sex out of my system” so that I could focus on other things.
• It would damage my reputation if I said “no.”
• It would get me gifts.
• My friends pressured me into it.
• My friends were having sex and I wanted to fit in.
• My hormones were out of control.
• My partner kept insisting.
• My regular partner is boring, so I had sex with someone else.
• Someone dared me.
• Someone had told me that this person was good in bed.
• Someone offered me money to do it.
• The opportunity presented itself.
• The person’s physical appearance turned me on.
• The person caressed me.
• The person demanded that I have sex with him/her.
• The person flattered me.
• The person had a desirable body.
• The person had a great sense of humour.
• The person had a lot of money.
• The person had an attractive face.
• The person had beautiful eyes.
• The person had bought me jewellery.
• The person had taken me out for an expensive dinner.
• The person had too much to drink and I was about to take advantage of them.
• The person made me feel sexy.
• The person offered to give me drugs for doing it.
• The person really desired me.
• The person seemed self-confident.
• The person smelled nice.
• The person was “available.”
• The person was a good dancer.
• The person was a good kisser.
• The person was famous and I wanted to be able to say I had sex with him/her.
• The person was intelligent.
• The person was mysterious.
• The person was really desired by others.
• The person was too “hot” to resist.
• The person was too physically attractive to resist.
• The person wore revealing clothes.

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Posted by Jonathan in Philosophy, Psychology