When Dr. Alfred Kinsey and his team conducted interviews in the 1940s and 1950s, they were recording a taxonomy of human sexuality - documenting the range and variability of human sexual behavior in the U.S.

Today's research at The Kinsey Institute seeks to find underlying answers to help understand why people engage in sex, the challenges of reproduction, the range of problems people experience, and how to offer effective interventions.

Our research questions are informed by developments in psychology, neuroscience, biology, gender studies, sociology and other fields, and reflect a new emphasis on the complexities of sexual interest, behavior and sexual health.

Photo by Sean McGrath

Researchers are currently working on a study of couples around the world, to analyze the cultural differences in the role of sex in long term relationships.

Previous studies have looked at the sexual satisfaction in newlywed couples, and considered the role of the spouse or partner in the sexual satisfaction of patients undergoing sex therapy in recovery from cancer or depression.

Marriage and Sexual Health
International Study on Sexuality in Heterosexual Couples

Working from an understanding of the Dual Control Model of Sexual Response, developed at The Kinsey Institute, researchers continue to investigate what factors influence how and when we become sexually excited, and why individuals make the sexual choices they do.

Recent studies have examined the influence of alcohol, addiction, or depression on sexual risk-taking. Some researchers are also working with brain imagery to understand better what areas of the brain are involved in sexual attraction.

Patterns of Sexual Arousal in Homosexual, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Men (PDF)
Infidelity in Heterosexual Couples
Mood, Arousal, and Sexual Risk-Taking
Heterosexual Men's Sexual Decision-Making
Brain Imaging and Sexual Attraction
Understanding Compulsive & Risky Sexual Behavior
Role of Alcohol in Sexual Decision-making

Photo by Horia Andrei Varlan,, CC with Attribution.

Several studies have explored which sexual activities people include in their definition of sex, looking for possible differences across culture, gender, and age group.

This has implications for sexual research, and sexual health organizations, as well as for medical practitioners and clinicians dealing with patients where it is important to understand exactly what people mean as they talk about 'having sex'.

"Would You Say You Had Sex If . . . ?" Survey (2010)
U.S. and U.K. gay men's definitions of having 'had sex'
"Would You Say You Had Sex If . . . ?" Survey (1999) text

Photo by Wordisberry.

Researchers have found that many people use condoms incompletely and incorrectly. Men were applying them after starting intercourse, or removing them during and resuming sex. And some men, who reported having trouble with erections, were not bothering to stop to apply the condom, fearful that they would be unable to have intercourse.

In a new study, we are getting at the reasons for these errors, and developing instructional interventions to improve use. This work could have enormous impact on HIV and STI prevention by getting people to use condoms consistently and correctly.

Possible Barriers to Correct Condom Use
Ongoing Study by the Condom Use Research Team

From the Kinsey Institute Collection

Sex researchers understand how the body and the mind work together to both the detriment and to the healing of sexual functioning. Kinsey researchers investigating female sexuality target special problems, such as cancer survivors and women who have been sexually abused, but also reach women and men of various ages and ethnicities, who are struggling with physical and emotional barriers that affect their sexual lives and relationships.

Hysterectomy and Sexual Functioning
Detecting Sexual Desire in Women
Uterine Neurophysiology and Pelvic Pain

Photo by Meagan

Postpartum depression may affect 20% of new mothers, though the stigma is heavy and many women suffer without any help, understanding or intervention. Kinsey researchers are investigating the hormone oxytocin’s protective quality against postpartum depression, and a possible way to intervene with hormonal applications.

Postpartum Depression

Photo by 3rdparty! at Flikr.com.

A ground-breaking study is underway in rural Bolivia to study the changes in hormones and health indicators that can affect women as they undergo the transition to menopause, called peri-menopause. This study will be the first comprehensive examination of these kinds of peri-menopausal changes in a non-industrialized population, and will also be the first study to test whether these changes differ between industrialized (e.g., U.S.) and non-industrialized populations.

International Study: Variability in Women's Reproductive Functioning (Bolivia)

• Factors Affecting Sexual Arousal in Women
• Mood and Sexuality
• Cancer Survivors and Sexual Intervention
• Oral Contraceptives, Testosterone and Sexuality in Women