The Science Of Sex

Do consent-oriented communities (like BDSM) experience lower levels of rape culture? In episode 19, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Kathryn Klement about her research on this topic.

This week, Joe and Dr. Zhana switched things up and decided to answer some questions we’ve been asked by listeners! Talking about a range of topics including, cuckolding, open relationships, blowjobs, pubic hair, consent, and more!

Could cuckolding be a positive thing for some couples? A new study investigates fantasies about and experiences with cuckolding in a large and diverse sample of gay-identified men.

It might not be a surprise that, on average, straight women orgasm less frequently than straight men, but why is this? On this week's show Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. David Frederick about his survey of over 50,000 Americans, trying to understand the reasons behind those orgasm differences.

Once a cheater, always a cheater…right? In our 15th episode, Joe and Dr. Zhana spoke with Kayla Knopp, the lead author on a study that focuses on the likelihood of “serial cheating” in individuals.

What do the sexting habits of adults 21 and over look like? In a recent paper, researchers surveyed a nationally representative sample of almost 6,000 single US adults ages 21+ about their sexting experiences, sending and receiving sexually explicit text messages or photos.

This week is the first holiday special of The Science of Sex, live from The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). SSSS is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality, and in November, Dr. Zhana attended their annual meeting in Atlanta.

This week is the first holiday special of The Science of Sex, live from The Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality (SSSS). SSSS is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge about sexuality, and in November, Dr. Zhana attended their annual meeting in Atlanta.

Contrary to many popular stereotypes, there are many women who are as equally into casual sex as some men, but what do these women prefer when it comes to their partners? This week, Naomi Muggleton, the lead author on this study, is talking to us about her research on this topic.

Our news cycle has been filled with countless examples of male sexual misconduct, from sexual assault, to harassment, to just general creepiness across virtually every profession and social sphere. We are still having trouble identifying why these acts of sexual misconduct are so widespread. To help us explore this question, we interviewed someone who’s been studying male sexual aggression for almost four decades: Dr. Neil Malamuth at UCLA.

We love talking about sex, but what about sex during pregnancy and after childbirth? Earlier this year, a review paper was published summarizing what we know from research about sexual behaviors during pregnancy and the year after childbirth. This week we were able to interview the lead author on this paper, Dr. Sofia Jawed-Wessel, and discuss these findings and everything else she knows about sex during and after pregnancy.

How common are sexual problems and when should they be cause for concern? On this week’s episode, Joe and Dr. Zhana speak with Dr. Kirstin Mitchell about her research on sexual function and dysfunction.

Can porn negatively impact a marriage? This week on The Science of Sex, Joe and Dr. Zhana went deeper into a rather controversial topic involving the impact that watching pornography can have on marital quality and longevity.

What is really going on in the female brain before, during, and after an orgasm? This week, Joe and Dr. Zhana talk to Dr. Nan Wise, who published a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine that disputed past research of brain scans of women during orgasm. Originally, researchers found deactivation of brain regions leading up to or during orgasm, but this recent study found that this might not be true.

We often talk about issues regarding the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities, but what about those who identify as asexual? On the latest episode, Joe and Dr. Zhana talk to Lara Greaves about an interesting yet rarely discussed topic: asexuality and its relationship to mental health.

Is it really “not gay if it’s in a threeway?” In episode 6, Joe and Dr. Zhana speak with Dr. Ryan Scoats, a man who according to the New York Post “got his PhD in threesomes.”

Are Millennials really the “hookup generation”? In this week’s episode, Joe and Dr. Zhana talk to Dr. Brooke Wells, an associate professor and director of the PhD program in Human Sexuality at Widener University, about four of her published studies that reveal surprising information about Millennials’ sexual behaviors and attitudes.

Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to a doctor who's been called "The Vagina Scientist." Dr. James Pfaus and his team published an article attempting to resolve the controversy surrounding clitoral versus vaginal orgasms and we break it down in this episode of "The Science of Sex."

Dr. Zhana and Joe discuss a recent study authored by Dr. Lisa Dawn Hamilton. The brains of highly promiscuous men processed romantic information differently than the brains of highly monogamous men. This was not the case with sexual information - both groups processed those similarly.

Joe and Dr. Zhana speak with Dr Michal Kosinski (Stanford University) about his controversial study on Artificial Intelligence being able to distinguish gay from straight faces.