Erotic plasticity

Erotic plasticity is the degree to which one's sex drive can be changed by cultural or social factors.[1][2] Someone has "high erotic plasticity" when their sex drives can be affected by situational, social and cultural influences, whereas someone with "low erotic plasticity" has a sex drive that is relatively rigid and unsusceptible to change. Since social psychologist Roy Baumeister coined the term in 2000, only two studies directly assessing erotic plasticity have been completed as of 2010.[3][4]

The female erotic plasticity hypothesis states that women have higher erotic plasticity than men, and therefore their sex drives are more socially flexible and responsive than those of men (factors such as religion, culture and education have a greater effect on women's sexual behaviors). Men, on the other hand, remain relatively rigid after puberty but can still be affected by these factors.

  1. ^ Baumeister, R. F. (2000). "Gender differences in erotic plasticity: the female sex srive as socially flexible and responsive" (PDF). Psychological Bulletin. 126 (3): 347–74. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.347. PMID 10825779. S2CID 35777544. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-05.
  2. ^ Baumeister, R. F. (2004). "Gender and erotic plasticity: sociocultural influences on the sex drive" (PDF). Sexual and Relationship Therapy. 19 (2): 1468–79. doi:10.1080/14681990410001691343. S2CID 145630252. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-27.
  3. ^ Benuto, L. (2010). Exploring erotic plasticity as an individual difference variable: Theory and measurement. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 7263.
  4. ^ Benuto, L.; Meana, M. (2008). "Acculturation and sexuality: investigating gender differences in erotic plasticity". Journal of Sex Research. 45 (3): 217–24. doi:10.1080/00224490801987465. PMID 18686150. S2CID 205441963. Archived from the original on 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2019-11-30.