Sexual desire is defined as interest in sexual activity, either alone or with another person. Most research has focused on the latter, associating it with other dimensions of sexual functioning such as sexual arousal, orgasm, or sexual satisfaction. However, little is known about solitary sexual desire.
Óscar Cervilla, Eva Jiménez-Antón, Ana Álvarez-Muelas, Pablo Mangas, Reina Granados and Juan Carlos Sierra, conducted an investigation, published in the journal Healthcare, which focuses on the relationship of solitary sexual desire with the subjective experience of orgasm and sexual arousal in the context of solo masturbation. In a first study, conducted with 2,406 adults from the general Spanish population, they examined the relationship between solitary sexual desire and the subjective experience of orgasm obtained through masturbation and, in a second study, conducted with 41 young people, they were interested in its association with sexual arousal experienced in a laboratory context in front of visual stimuli showing people masturbating.
The results indicated that while males reported more solitary sexual desire, females had more intense subjective experiences of orgasm through masturbation. It was observed that solitary sexual desire was significantly associated with subjective experience of orgasm and sexual arousal in the context of masturbation. Specifically, individuals who reported higher levels of solitary sexual desire also indicated higher levels of sexual arousal and a more intense subjective experience of orgasm during masturbation.
This research concludes that solitary sexual desire is an important factor to consider when addressing the subjective experience of orgasm and sexual arousal in the context of masturbation. The findings suggest that solitary sexual desire may be a significant predictor of the subjective experience of orgasm and sexual arousal in this context, which may have important implications for the treatment of sexual dysfunction and the improvement of sexual health.
Cervilla, O., Jiménez-Antón, E., Álvarez-Muelas, A., Mangas, P., Granados, R. and Sierra, J. C. (2023). Solitary Sexual Desire: Its Relation to Subjective Orgasm Experience and Sexual Arousal in the Masturbation Context within a Spanish Population. Healthcare, 11, Article 1805. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11060805