Aging and human sexual behavior: biocultural perspectives - a mini-review
- PMID: 22487655
- DOI: 10.1159/000337420
Aging and human sexual behavior: biocultural perspectives - a mini-review
Abstract
In this mini-review, we consider an evolutionary biocultural perspective on human aging and sexuality. An evolutionary approach to senescence highlights the energetic trade-offs between fertility and mortality. By comparing humans to other primates, we situate human senescence as an evolutionary process, with shifts in postreproductive sexual behavior in this light. Age-related declines in sexual behavior are typical for humans but also highly contingent on the sociocultural context within which aging individuals express their sexuality. We briefly review some of the most comprehensive studies of aging and sexual behavior, both from the USA and cross-culturally. We frame these patterns with respect to the long-term relationships within which human sexual behavior typically occurs. Because sexuality is typically expressed within pair-bonds, sexual behavior sometimes declines in both members of a couple with age, but also exhibits sex-specific effects that have their roots in evolved sex differences.
Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.
Similar articles
-
The primal scene in cross-species and cross-cultural perspectives.Int J Psychoanal. 2011 Oct;92(5):1263-87. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-8315.2011.00412.x. Epub 2011 Mar 17. Int J Psychoanal. 2011. PMID: 22014369
-
Sexual Aging: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research on the Sexuality and Sexual Health of Older Adults.Qual Health Res. 2019 Jul;29(9):1239-1254. doi: 10.1177/1049732318819834. Epub 2018 Dec 25. Qual Health Res. 2019. PMID: 30584788
-
Older Women in New Romantic Relationships.Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2017 Jun;85(1):33-43. doi: 10.1177/0091415016680067. Epub 2016 Dec 2. Int J Aging Hum Dev. 2017. PMID: 27913759
-
Hormones and history: the evolution and development of primate female sexuality.J Sex Res. 2004 Feb;41(1):101-12. doi: 10.1080/00224490409552218. J Sex Res. 2004. PMID: 15216429 Free PMC article. Review.
-
[Impact of aging on sexuality].Rev Med Brux. 2012 May-Jun;33(3):153-63. Rev Med Brux. 2012. PMID: 22891587 Review. French.
Cited by
-
Determinants of sexual function among survivors of gynaecological cancers in a tertiary hospital: a cross-sectional study.Ecancermedicalscience. 2022 May 5;16:1384. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2022.1384. eCollection 2022. Ecancermedicalscience. 2022. PMID: 35919237 Free PMC article.
-
Associations between Cues of Sexual Desire and Sexual Attitudes in Portuguese Women.Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2021 Oct 19;11(4):1292-1309. doi: 10.3390/ejihpe11040094. Eur J Investig Health Psychol Educ. 2021. PMID: 34698181 Free PMC article.
-
Factors Conditioning Sexual Behavior in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies.J Clin Med. 2020 Jun 3;9(6):1716. doi: 10.3390/jcm9061716. J Clin Med. 2020. PMID: 32503157 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Sexuality among fathers of newborns in Jamaica.BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015 Feb 21;15:44. doi: 10.1186/s12884-015-0475-6. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2015. PMID: 25886162 Free PMC article.
-
Sex, desire and pleasure: considering the experiences of older Australian women.Sex Relation Ther. 2015 Jan 2;30(1):117-130. doi: 10.1080/14681994.2014.936722. Epub 2014 Jul 18. Sex Relation Ther. 2015. PMID: 25544829 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Medical
