Experts

Men Use Oral Sex to Prevent Infidelity, Study Reports

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Jul 04, 2013 12:55 PM EDT

Sex is an intimate practice between two people. Even though most people do not like to publicly discuss their sex lives with others, the topic of sex can be seen in almost everything, ranging from advertisements to movies. The practice of sex has also been the focal point of several scientific studies that aimed to understand the dynamics between partners engaging in different types of sex.

For example, a new study that was published in the Journal of Sex Research discovered that people who have casual sex during their college years were more prone to feeling psychological distress. Since sex affects mental health, it is important to identify risk factors when screening people for mental disorders. A new study found that men admitted to using oral sex as a means of preventing infidelity, keeping both themselves and their partners happy.

This new study focused on the goal of answering the question of why men started performing oral sex since it does not lead to reproduction. The researchers theorized that oral sex could be used as a "mate-retention strategy," meaning that this particular sex act helps men keep their women from straying. The researchers surveyed 243 adult men who were a part of a committed heterosexual relationship. Based from the answers, the researchers concluded that men used oral sex as a means of increasing the satisfaction level of their female partners. If their partners were happier sexually, the likelihood of cheating would decrease significantly.

These findings not only helped the researchers of the study answer their prediction about oral sex, they have also opened a discussion on the controversy of such a study. Several people have responded to the study stating that the researchers failed to question why the reverse, in which women perform oral sex on men, occurs. The writers asked why the researchers were not curious about "questioning the evolutionary advantage of oral sex for men," since that practice does not help with reproduction either. On top of that, critics believe that the researchers did not address the possibility that oral sex could be pleasurable for men as well as women.

Whether or not the researchers' findings are helpful, the results add more discussion for others researching sex.

The study was published in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics