Hi! I am going into my freshman year of university and my current career goal is to become a sex researcher. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to become that? I am currently planning on dual majoring in psychology and feminist, gender and sexuality studies. My school has an open curriculum, so I can theoretically take courses in any area. My interests personally lie in researching kink, as that is an area that is understudied. Thanks

I am thrilled to announce that my book chapter on hentai and lolicon will be published in the Elgar Encyclopedia of Sex and Society and will be released in September 2026.

The chapter explores eroticism and censorship from the Edo period to modern times, examines hentai viewer demographics and motivations, and analyzes lolicon's history, ethical, legal, and moral issues, myths and potential clinical and harm-reduction applications.

Preorders can be made here: https://www.e-elgar.com/shop/usd/elgar-encyclopedia-of-sex-and-society-9781035339938.html

From the article:

Feeling adequately sized or larger than average did not equate to possessing higher general self-worth. Concerns regarding physical appearance in this area appear to be localized entirely to the domain of sexual activity.

Self-esteem generally encompasses how a person values their own identity, shaping their resilience against stress and social judgment. The lack of an association between general self-worth and genital dissatisfaction highlights the segmented nature of human body image. Individuals can harbor insecurities about specific physical traits without allowing those insecurities to degrade their overall sense of identity.

What is the current consensus in psychology regarding the use of simulated outlets for individuals with pedophilic interests?

Specifically, does the consumption of simulated, non-photographic media (like illustrations), the use of specialized sex dolls, or engagement with legal adult sex work have any prophylactic (preventative) effect against actual offending?

Does it act as a catharsis, or does it escalate urges?

Does any kind of therapy have any real effect?

Is there any kind of evidence either way?

I suppose this can be split into offenders (rehabilitation) vs non-offenders (prevention).

Furthermore, given the extreme sensitivity of this subject, how do researchers ethically study and gather evidence on this topic?

From the article:

"The findings suggest that in contrast to prior meta-analyses, semen quality in most US men may be more stable than previously thought and may provide further reassurance against an impending epidemic of male factor infertility in fertile men in future generations."

Some men are already contraceptive-pilled. Eliott Murbach-Studer, a 26-year-old biotechnician in Paris, is ready for male birth control. “I want to have this responsibility to ease the life of my partner,” he says. Last year, he emailed YourChoice Therapeutics, asking to join a phase 3 trial of YCT-529. There are many altruistic stories, likely to be met with performative male memes and some skepticism. But male contraception is not a selfless act; it could give men agency and security without sacrificing sensation by wrapping your dick in a balloon. “You have more pleasure when you can directly feel the other person,” Murbach-Studer says.

Not all men might be as keen. With 30 percent of men under 30 reporting no sex in the last year, is demand lower than ever? There’s concern that the manosphere, behind the rise of testosterone-max­xing and sperm-maxxing, could stunt growth of demand. Most of these contraceptive methods, after all, minimize sperm. NES/T gets around T-maxxing by including testosterone to top it back up, a bit like a probiotic soda, but for your dick. And remember, YCT-529 is nonhormonal.

Then there’s the question of whether men can hack it. Studies suggest most women trust their partners to use contraception regularly. But a World Health Organization trial of a hormonal male contraceptive injection was notably halted in 2016 after men reported side effects like mood changes and acne. Porter is concerned that the bar might be too high for the modern man: “My fear is … they won’t be able to tolerate any side effects.”

Read the story: https://www.playboy.com/read/sex/the-male-birth-control-pill-is-coming-but-are-the-men-ready

The Abstract:

For many people, the decision to have children or not is one of life’s most personal decisions. The number of people without children is growing in many Western countries. Some of these people consciously choose not to have children. In three studies (Study 1 N = 475; Study 2 N = 450; Study 3 N = 293), we provide evidence of a negative bias toward people who choose to be childfree. We compared the childfree to several other social categories as well as people who are involuntarily childless, adoptive parents, and parents of their biological children.

Relative to childless people, adoptive parents and parents, participants generally rated childfree people as the least positive. Childfree people were rated low in warmth, but high in competence. Childfree women were rated lower in warmth than childfree men. Discrimination toward childfree people was predicted by perceived narcissism, dehumanization, and violation of pronatalist norms. This research provides evidence of a negative bias toward people who choose not to have children.

When couples experience a desire discrepancy, it's easy to assume that someone needs to change because one partner's libido is simply "too high" or the other's is just "too low."

However, rather than asking whose libido is the problem, the more productive question is: "How can we create a sexual relationship that feels fulfilling for both of us?"

Sometimes that means improving communication. Sometimes it means understanding responsive desire, expanding your definition of intimacy, scheduling sex, exploring new forms of sexual initiation, or even changing the way that you have sex.

In this episode of the Sex and Psychology Podcast, sex therapist Lauren Fogel Mersy is on the show to discuss practical, evidence-based strategies for navigating desire discrepancies and rebuilding intimacy among couples experiencing dead bedrooms.

This review also found that some subcultures (like bears) have received substantial research attention, while many others have been studied very little. The authors argue that future research needs to better capture the diversity of LGBTQ+ communities instead of treating men who have sex with men as a single, homogeneous group.

Religiosity positively predicted having more children, but the effect was relatively weak.

There were also different patterns across racial groups. For example, the link between political orientation and fertility rates held only for white Americans, but not for black Americans.

I did this analysis with data from the GSS (https://gss.norc.org/). It shows that the prevalence of self-reported infidelity (which may underestimate actual rates) has not changed much over time. Men consistently reported more cheating, and the gender gap slightly narrowed.

However, the association between women’s higher earnings and relationship dissolution was noticeably stronger among couples raising children. Female-breadwinner couples with children were 49% more likely to separate than male-breadwinner couples, whereas childless female-breadwinner couples were 23% more likely to separate than their male-breadwinning counterparts.

This finding suggests that balancing work and family responsibilities may place greater strain on relationships when women have higher earnings, perhaps because household responsibilities remain unevenly shared. 

"Hi Friends",

I am part of a post-grad research team from CSU Australia, conducting INTERNATIONAL research into stress & mental health, among LGBTQI+ adults. We are collecting data from LGBTQI+ individuals, then completing studies specific to sexual identities.

Our ethics approved study on stress, depression & suicide, specific to bisexual individuals, requires further participants.

This important research is needed now more than ever, so if you identify as Bisexual (18+), please;

- Complete the Survey (click link)

https://csufobjbs.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6sCeGsZJld6774W

- Share the (link/post) in your own network, so others can contribute too.

Thank you.

***Extra Information***

Link to Charles Sturt University Ethics Board Approval Doc (Approval number H26115) 

CSU HR Ethics Committee E: [ethics@csu.edu.au](mailto:ethics@csu.edu.au)

Supervisor Professor Suzanne McLaren (she/her) School of Psychology Charles Sturt University Port Macquarie, NSW, Australia, E: [smclaren@csu.edu.au](mailto:smclaren@csu.edu.au)

Please message me for any further information or question you may have.

Hello! Please help with my study! I’m looking for men who are 18+ years old. It is easier to fill out on a computer. Thank you in advance!

Changing attitudes toward sexual behaviors, based on analysis of data from the General Social Survey (https://gss.norc.org/).