Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2008 Apr;37(2):206-18.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-007-9217-9. Epub 2007 Aug 1.

Sex differences in response to visual sexual stimuli: a review

Heather A Rupp  1 , Kim Wallen
Affiliations
Review

Sex differences in response to visual sexual stimuli: a review

Heather A Rupp et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2008 Apr.

Abstract

This article reviews what is currently known about how men and women respond to the presentation of visual sexual stimuli. While the assumption that men respond more to visual sexual stimuli is generally empirically supported, previous reports of sex differences are confounded by the variable content of the stimuli presented and measurement techniques. We propose that the cognitive processing stage of responding to sexual stimuli is the first stage in which sex differences occur. The divergence between men and women is proposed to occur at this time, reflected in differences in neural activation, and contribute to previously reported sex differences in downstream peripheral physiological responses and subjective reports of sexual arousal. Additionally, this review discusses factors that may contribute to the variability in sex differences observed in response to visual sexual stimuli. Factors include participant variables, such as hormonal state and socialized sexual attitudes, as well as variables specific to the content presented in the stimuli. Based on the literature reviewed, we conclude that content characteristics may differentially produce higher levels of sexual arousal in men and women. Specifically, men appear more influenced by the sex of the actors depicted in the stimuli while women's response may differ with the context presented. Sexual motivation, perceived gender role expectations, and sexual attitudes are possible influences. These differences are of practical importance to future research on sexual arousal that aims to use experimental stimuli comparably appealing to men and women and also for general understanding of cognitive sex differences.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Alexander MG, Fisher TD. Truth and consequences: Using the bogus pipeline to examine sex differences in self-reported sexuality. Journal of Sex Research. 2003;40:27–35. - PubMed
    1. Alexander GM, Sherwin BB. Sex steroids, sexual behavior, and selection attention for erotic stimuli in women using oral contraceptives. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1993;18:91–102. - PubMed
    1. Aubrey JS. Sex and punishment: An examination of sexual consequences and the sexual double standard in teen programming. Sex Roles. 2004;50:505–514.
    1. Bancroft J. Psychological and physiological responses to sexual stimuli in men and women. In: Lennart L, editor. Society, stress, and disease (Vol. 3.): The productive and reproductive age- male/female roles and relationships. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1978. pp. 154–163.
    1. Basson R. A model of women’s sexual arousal. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy. 2002;28:1–10. - PubMed