More than eight out of every 10 US adults surveyed online admitted to sexting–sending sexually explicit content or photos via text message, Drexel University researchers revealed this weekend at the American Psychological Association’s 123rd Annual Convention in Toronto.
Emily Stasko, a doctoral candidate at the clinical PhD program in the Philadelphia-based university’s psychology department and study’s presenter, said that she and her co-author Dr. Pamela Geller, an associate professor of psychology and ob/gyn at Drexel, surveyed 870 men and women between the ages of 18 and 82.
Each individual was asked if they had sent or received sexually suggestive or explicit content via text message over the past year, or if they had ever engaged in the behavior. They learned that 88 percent reported having ever sexted, and 82 percent said they did so over the last 12 months.
“We were surprised by the high rates of sexting we observed,” Stasko told redOrbit via email. She and Dr. Geller also learned that 75 percent said that they sexted while part of a committed relationship, and 43 percent that that they had done so as part of a more casual relationship. The study was conducted using the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) website.
‘A different approach’ to sexting-related research
The Drexel researchers also found that higher levels of sexting were associated with greater sexual satisfaction, especially for those in a relationship. Those who identified as single, on the other hand, were found to have significantly lower overall scores for sexual satisfaction.
“Due to the sampling methodology employed for this study, it is possible that the high observed prevalence of sexting is not representative of the general US population,” Stasko said, noting that “MTurk workers may be more technologically savvy than the general population and individuals interested in the topic of sexting may have been more likely to respond.”
She and Dr. Geller also found a link between increased levels of sexting and overall relationship satisfaction for all but those who identified their relationship as “very committed.” Participants were also asked about their attitudes towards sexting, and the study found that those who did so more often tended to view the behavior as fun and something expected in a relationship.
Stasko told redOrbit that she and Dr. Geller “wanted to take a different approach to studying sexting. Most research looks at sexting as dangerous or risky, but if it were only bad, people wouldn’t do it. We set out to look at sexting as a form of communication that can be both good and bad. We found that not all sexting is equal… context and intent matter.”
“Within a relationship, wantedness of sexting matters. Unwanted sexting is bad for relationship satisfaction. Wanted sexting is good for sexual and relationship satisfaction among heterosexuals,” she added. “To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first studies to look at the effects of sexting on relationship satisfaction. We asked if sexting could be good and found that it could. Future studies should look at what is driving the associations between sexting and relationship satisfaction.”
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