Empathy enhances sexual enjoyment

A study by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health looked at the linkage among three developmental assets - self-esteem, autonomy and empathy - and three measures of sexual pleasure among young adult women and men in established opposite-sex relationships. They are regularity of orgasm, enjoyment of receiving oral sex and enjoyment of performing oral sex.

Among the young women, measures of self-esteem, autonomy, and empathy are positively associated with the three types of sexual pleasure, the Journal of Adolescent Health reports. Young men are more likely to report the highest level of all three types of sexual enjoyment.

For example, nearly nine out of 10 young men report having an orgasm most or all of the time they have sex with their partner, while less than half of young women experience orgasm so frequently when they have sex with their partner, according to Johns Hopkins statement.  “These three developmental assets may enable young women, as well as young men, to experience higher levels of sexual pleasure,” said Adena Galinsky, study co-author and doctoral student with Bloomberg School’s Centre for Adolescent Health.

The research study examined data from 3,237 respondents aged between 18 and 26 years from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. “Sexual health is more than the absence of sexually-transmitted infection, unintended pregnancy, violence or other problems. It is the presence of sexual well-being,” said Adena Galinsky, study co-author and doctoral student with Bloomberg School’s Centre for Adolescent Health. 
Sexual enjoyment in the three areas is consistently associated only with empathy for the young men. “Our hypothesis is that empathetic individuals are more responsive to a partner’s needs, and thus initiate a positive feedback cycle,” said Galinsky.

Galinsky conducted the study along with Freya Sonenstein, professor and director of the Centre for Adolescent Health. Galinsky further theorizes that because young women face more barriers to sexual expression as compared to men, the achievement of sexual enjoyment may do more to boost their self-esteem and sense of autonomy.