Sex and Psychology Podcast

What does it mean to be asexual? This is something that different people have defined in different ways, and there are a lot of misconceptions about it. That’s why this episode of the podcast is all about understanding asexuality. We dive into what the science tells us about this subject and bust a lot of myths along the way. We also talk about helpful tips for navigating relationships in which one of the partners is asexual (lacking sexual attraction) and the other is allosexual (experiencing sexual attraction). I am joined by Dr. Morag Yule, the founder and director of Ontario Sex Therapy, a private practice that offers sex therapy as well as clinical training and supervision out of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Yule has published extensively on human sexuality, but is especially recognized for her ground-breaking studies of asexuality. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: How do sex researchers define asexuality, and how do they measure it in their studies? What percentage of the population is asexual? How is asexuality distinct from celibacy? What have genital arousal studies told us about the sexual functioning of asexual persons? Do asexual people masturbate and have sexual fantasies? How is solo sexuality similar or different for asexual and allosexual individuals? Why is it important to view asexuality as a unique sexual orientation? How does asexuality intersect with kink/BDSM and consensual non-monogamy? How do you make a relationship work when asexual and allosexual people partner-up? For more asexuality information and resources, check out the Asexuality Visibility and Education Network at asexuality.org To learn more about Dr. Yule, visit ontariosextherapy.ca This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Most of us never got the sex education we really needed, which leaves us with a lot that we need to figure out all on our own. Fortunately, technology is making it easier than ever to fill in the gaps. In this episode, we’re going to explore an app that offers a step-by-step guide to sexual health that can also help you to build intimacy. In addition, we’ll be discussing common questions people have about sex and practical tips for cultivating a hotter and healthier sex life. My guest is Isharna Walsh, founder and CEO of Coral, a sexual wellness app that offers evidence-based guides for better sex for all. We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including: How can we better leverage technology to improve our sexual health and sex lives? How does Coral work, and how is it different from everything else on the market? How do you design a sexual wellness app that is accessible to a diverse audience? What are the most common sexual and relationship questions among users of this app? What can you do to build up your sexual self-confidence? What are some practical ways to deepen your connection with your partner, or restore a connection that has faded in a long-term relationship? How can you communicate more effectively about sex? To learn more about Isharna, follow her on Instagram at @isharnawalsh and be sure to check out Coral at getcoral.app Also, check out this sample exercise from Coral for a taste: Wholly Giving, Wholly Receiving This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

If you ask someone to describe their sexuality, odds are they’ll probably tell you something about the sex or gender of the people they’re attracted to. However, that’s just one of many aspects of sexuality that might be important to a given individual. Sexuality is multidimensional, and each of us has a unique constellation of factors that play a part in our attraction to others, from the number of partners we want to have, to the degree of support and nurturance we need, to the sexual roles we like to play. In this episode, we’re going to be talking about a new way of thinking about sexuality known as Sexual Configurations Theory that can help us to better understand and measure sexual diversity. My guests are doctoral candidate Aki Gormezano and Dr. Sari van Anders, both from Queen’s University in Canada. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include: What is Sexual Configurations Theory? Why is it important to expand our definition of sexual orientation beyond sex/gender-based attractions? To what degree do our sexual fantasies, porn use, and in-person sexual behaviors overlap versus diverge? Why do some aspects of sexuality overlap more than others, and can this change over time? Why is it problematic to assume that what people watch in porn necessarily reflects what they want to do in bed? How should we measure someone’s sexuality in a research lab? Is genital arousal to porn really the “truest” measure of someone’s sexuality? How can we do better, more inclusive sex research? To learn more about Sexual Configurations Theory, check out the van Anders lab website. Also, be sure to follow my guests on Twitter @gormezaki and @sarivananders This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Evolutionary psychologists have long argued that women’s sexual behavior is driven by hormonal changes that occur throughout the menstrual cycle, including everything from their desire for sex to their partner choice. This has fed the popular idea that hormones are really the driving force behind women’s sexuality. As it turns out, however, that’s not entirely true. In this episode, we’re going to be deconstructing the myth of the “hormonal woman” with Dr. Tierney Lorenz, a former Kinsey Institute trainee who is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Tierney studies the interaction between women’s mental, physical, and sexual health. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: What role do hormones and the menstrual cycle really play when it comes to women’s sexual behavior? Scientists have long argued that ovulation triggers changes in sexual behavior, but it turns out that having sex can actually trigger ovulation. So what does this mean for couples who are trying to get pregnant? How does having sex impact how the immune system operates? What is the key to boosting sexual desire? Can testosterone supplements help? What about medications? How do sexual health, physical health, and mental health all intersect? How can people with a history of sexual trauma go on to develop happier, healthier sex lives? This interview blew my mind in several ways, so be sure to check it out! To learn more about Tierney, follow her on Twitter @tk_lorenz and follow her lab at @lab_wish This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Each November, media buzz around the annual abstinence challenge known as “No Nut November” seems to grow. This challenge involves men giving up ejaculation for the entire month. That means no sex and no masturbation—no orgasms of any kind. Those who participate do this for a wide range of reasons, but often with the intention of enhancing their health. But are there actually any health benefits to abstaining from orgasm for prolonged periods of time? To dive into what the science says, I spoke with Dr. Joshua Gonzalez, a board-certified urologist who is fellowship-trained in Sexual Medicine. We give a research-based take on “No Nut November,” while also offering a crash course in “semenology” to answer common questions about ejaculation and orgasm. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: Where does semen come from and what is it made of? How many calories are in a single “serving” of semen? Is it really a source of protein? Why are so many men concerned about their ejaculatory volume? And is there anything they can do to increase it? Can abstinence from sex and masturbation enhance athletic performance? What is the link between masturbation and health? In what ways can being sexually active (both solo and partnered) potentially boost health? What are the most common sexual difficulties men experience, and what can they do to reduce their odds of developing them? What do men need to know about having better sex? To learn more about Joshua, visit his website at joshuagonzalezmd.com. You can also check out his supplement Popstar at popstarlabs.com and follow him on social media: Instagram @JoshuaGonzalezMD TikTok @JoshuaGonzalezMD Twitter @SexMedLA This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

What does it really mean to have an orgasm? Different people—and even different scientists—define “orgasm” in different ways, which makes this a surprisingly difficult subject to study scientifically. So how do you measure when someone has an orgasm in a research lab? For this episode, I spoke to an orgasm researcher who has figured out how to do it. Her methods and findings are absolutely fascinating and will change everything you think you know about orgasms! My guest today is Dr. Nicole Prause, a licensed psychologist and sex researcher who founded the sexual biotechnology company Liberos. She is a former Kinsey Institute trainee and has published an extensive body of research on the neuroscience and psychophysiology of sex. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: What technology do you need to study orgasms scientifically? Orgasms have both a physiological and a psychological component—but they don’t always line up in the same way for everyone. So what does it mean when someone experiences one but not the other? What does it actually mean to have multiple orgasms? Are we talking back-to-back orgasms with continued sexual stimulation? Can you take breaks? How much time can pass between each orgasm for it to count as “multiple?” Is there really a gender difference in the ability to have multiple orgasms? (The answer may surprise you!) Some people get sick every time they orgasm. What causes this post-orgasmic illness syndrome? Are there really different “types” of orgasms, or are all orgasms technically the same process? What happens inside the brain during an orgasm? For people who have trouble orgasming, what can they do about it? This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Most people say that their ideal relationship would be monogamous. Despite this, however, a lot of people seem to have a really hard time maintaining monogamy. So why is that? And if monogamy is what you want, how can you most successfully maintain it and reduce the risk of infidelity? For the answers to these questions, I spoke with Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan, a Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles on sexual and romantic relationships and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Sex Research. Some of the topics we discuss in this episode include: What does it mean to be “monogamous?” Do different people define monogamy in different ways? Why is it a bad idea to assume monogamy in a relationship? What works and what doesn’t when it comes to maintaining monogamy? Is there anything you can do to “cheat-proof” your relationship? What happens when someone in a monogamous relationship develops a crush on someone else? When is this harmless, and when does it become a threat to the relationship? Are some people better equipped to maintain monogamy than others? What happens when someone “poaches” a partner from another relationship? How do those relationships tend to work out? What does sex education look like around the world? To learn more about Lucia, check out her Psychology Today blog “At First Blush” and her website SexMeetsRelationships.com This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

What do the sex lives of college students today look like? And how have they changed over time? I spoke with a sex educator who has amassed more than 30 years’ worth of data from students taking her university human sexuality courses. In total, she surveyed nearly 7,000 students and has obtained unique insights into how everything from kink to faking orgasms to condom use has changed since the 1990s. My guest today is Dr. Sandra Caron, a Professor of Family Relations and Human Sexuality at the University of Maine. She is an AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator and a licensed therapist. Her latest book is titled The Sex Lives of College Students. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: Has the rise of abstinence-only sex education affected the age at which young people start having sex? What is the average number of sexual partners a college student has? Why are fake orgasms on the rise among both college men and women alike? Are college students masturbating more today than they were in the past? Have college students gotten kinkier over time? How have same-sex behavior and sexual identity changed among young people? Are college students today taking more sexual risks or are they practicing safer sex? This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

A lot of people think about sexual orientation and gender as stable characteristics of the self–they think that people are just born a certain way. While it’s certainly true that many people do demonstrate stability in these traits throughout their lives, not everyone does. Many people experience some degree of sexual and/or gender fluidity, which can manifest in unexpected shifts in identity and expression over time. To be clear, this isn’t to say that sexuality and gender are conscious choices that people can simply change at will at any time, nor is it to say that sexual orientation and gender identity have no genetic or biological basis; rather, it’s just that sexuality and gender can be more dynamic across the lifespan than you might think. For this episode of the podcast, I took a deep dive into the science of sexual and gender fluidity with Dr. Lisa Diamond, a Professor of Psychology and Gender Studies at the University of Utah.  She is author of the incredible book Sexual Fluidity. Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: How common is sexual fluidity, and what does it look like? What is gender fluidity, and how is it similar to or different from being nonbinary or transgender? How do sexual and gender fluidity intersect? Are people who are fluid in one way more likely to be fluid in others? Where does fluidity come from, and is it possible that fluidity (as opposed to stability) is the really the norm? Are essentialist arguments, such as the “born this way” concept, necessary and helpful in the pursuit of LGBTQ+ rights? What does it mean to have a “sexual orientation?” Is it inherently about sex/gender-based attractions? Or do we all have multiple orientations, with sex/gender being just one type of orientation? This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

People can develop sexual fetishes for virtually anything. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that if you can think of it, somebody probably has a fetish for it. So why is that? How do fetishes develop in the first place? Are some people more likely to develop them than others? And what role does porn play in all of this? For the answers to these questions, I spoke with Dr. Jim Pfaus, a researcher in behavioral neuroscience in the Department of Psychology and Life Sciences at Charles University in Prague and with the Czech National Institute of Mental Health. Jim has conducted some fascinating research on animals that sheds important light on how fetishes might develop in humans. His studies show that rats can learn to associate sex with everything from articles of clothing to specific odors (including very aversive smells). Some of the topics we explore in this episode include: What does it mean to have a sexual fetish? How can learning theory help to explain the development of fetishes? How do people’s early sexual experiences affect their sexual turn-ons? Are some people more predisposed to developing fetishes than others? In what ways does pornography shape our sexual interests? How has porn (and what kind of porn people find to be arousing) changed over time? This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych *** Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram. Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast! Credits: LEGIT Audio (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.