The Physiology of Pillow Talk: Exploring the Relationship Between Baseline Testosterone Levels and Communication During the Postsex Time Interval

• In Event: Sex, Sexuality, and Sexialization: A Hot Topic In Interpersonal Relationships

Abstract

The present study contributes to growing lines of research investigating the antecedents and consequences of post sex communication and the relationship between biology and communication. More specifically, this study investigates the relationship between individuals’ baseline testosterone levels and their communication after sexual activity. Two-hundred and fifty-three participants completed an online diary after each time they engaged in sexual activity over a two-week period. Prior to the diary portion of the study, participants provided saliva samples, which were assayed for baseline testosterone levels. Results revealed that as individuals’ testosterone levels increase, their assessments of the benefits of disclosing decrease and their assessments of the risks of disclosing increase. Additionally, the higher the individuals’ testosterone levels, the less intentional and more positively valenced were their post sex disclosures, and these associations were mediated by risk-benefit assessments. Lastly, results revealed an interaction between testosterone and orgasm, such that a negative association emerged between testosterone and valence for those who did not orgasm, but not for those who orgasmed. These results and their implications for research on post sex behavior and communication theory are discussed.

Authors

• Amanda Denes, University of Connecticut

• Tamara D. Afifi, U of Iowa

• Douglas Granger, Arizona State U