Background Declining sexual desire over the course of a relationship may cause distress.
Because sexual desire partly depends on who the (imagined) sexual partner is, this study�…

Previous correlational research has demonstrated an association between people's reasons
for having sex (ie, their sexual goals) and their sexual desire and sexual and relationship�…

Recent studies have indicated that activation of the sexual system fosters relationship
initiation. In three studies, we expand on this work to investigate whether sexual activation�…

Across three studies, we demonstrate that pursuing sex for approach goals, such as to
enhance intimacy, fuels satisfaction and pursuing sex for avoidance goals, such as to avoid�…

Although sexual desire for one's partner is theorized to serve as a gut-level indicator of
partner mate value that motivates investment in valued partners, there is scant empirical�…

Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain
desire in their long-term relationships. Three studies employed complementary�…

A common reason why people in ongoing romantic relationships report engaging in sex with
their partner—in addition to pursuing their own pleasure—is to meet their partner's sexual�…

We examine the relations between accepting and rejecting a partner's sexual advances with
sexual and relationship satisfaction and assess how long these effects endure. Couples (N�…

Background Despite its integral role in normative sexual functioning, there is a dearth of
research into the role of subjective sexual arousal within romantic relationships. Aim The�…

Love and sex change over the course of a relationship. The current research investigates
the factors that contribute to sexual desire and sexual satisfaction in long-term couples. In�…