Mindfulness sex is the new buzz word. Not everyone has a precise idea of what it means, because our image of good sex is usually pretty mechanical and relates more to the thing itself than to mindful interaction with our partner. But this is exactly what mindful sex aims at. Research is addressing the topic of mindfulness and sex as well, such as a study from 2019, which we would like to share with you.
The research team around Chelom E. Leavitt, Eva S. Lefkowitz and Emily A. Waterman deals with mindfulness, sexual and general satisfaction as well as self-love within a relationship. The study was designed to reveal whether mindfulness during sex with each other also made couples happier overall in their relationship and also gave them greater self-esteem. They attributed greater importance to mindfulness during the sexual act than to mindfulness in everyday life. Experiencing the here and now is thought to allow for better emotion regulation and more conscious behavior.
The researchers assumed that sexual mindfulness is associated with sexual satisfaction and, in addition, that relationship satisfaction and one's own self-esteem also benefit from a mindful approach.
They recruited 194 married U.S. men and women between the ages of 35-60, all of whom were heterosexual. They completed an online survey that tested various characteristics, including their mindfulness, their sexual mindfulness, sexual satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, and self-esteem. The data were analyzed using a regression analysis.
It was found that more sexually mindful individuals generally had better self-esteem and were more satisfied with their relationships. In particular, women were observed to be more satisfied with their sex lives if they were sexually mindful individuals. Some of these results were still consistent even after controlling for the characteristics of mindfulness.
These results show, yes mindfulness increases sexual well-being. Based on these results, researchers and therapists may be better able to promote a person's sexual well-being, relationship well-being, and self-esteem by teaching sexual mindfulness skills.
Citation
- Leavitt, Chelom E.; Lefkowitz, Eva S.; Waterman, Emily A. (2019). The Role of Sexual Mindfulness in Sexual Wellbeing, Relational Wellbeing, and Self-Esteem. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, (), 1–12. doi:10.1080/0092623X.2019.1572680.
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