Several studies have documented differences in sexual desire between cisgender men and cisgender women, but few have differentiated between different types of desire or the sexual orientation of these individuals.

One theory of sexual desire includes two main types: solitary sexual desire and dyadic sexual desire. Solitary sexual desire is directed towards oneself and may include the desire or motivation to engage in sexual activity alone such as masturbation. On the other hand, dyadic sexual desire is the desire or motivation to engage in sexual activity with another individual, whether a partner or an attractive person.

Therefore, there may be three different types of sexual desire: 1) solitary sexual desire, 2) sexual desire for a partner, and 3) sexual desire for an attractive person.

A new cross-sectional study explored the similarities and differences between cisgender men and women when it comes to these three types of sexual desire, as well as the similarities and differences between heterosexual and non-heterosexual individuals.

For this study, 1,013 Portuguese participants responded to an online survey that included a demographic questionnaire, the Sexual Desire Inventory–2 (a measure of solitary and dyadic sexual desire), and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction (an assessment of sexual satisfaction).

Of this group, 552 individuals identified as cisgender women and 461 individuals identified as cisgender men. Furthermore, 802 participants identified as heterosexual and 211 participants identified as non-heterosexual.

Ultimately, the researchers discovered that the cisgender male participants scored significantly higher on solitary sexual desire and attractive person-related desire than the cisgender women. A similar trend was observed between the non-heterosexual and heterosexual participants, with the non-heterosexual participants scoring significantly higher on solitary sexual desire and attractive person-related desire than the heterosexual participants. All of the participants had similar levels of partner-related sexual desire.

Lastly, the findings of this study showed that partner-related sexual desire was associated with greater sexual satisfaction, whereas solitary and attractive person-related sexual desire was associated with less sexual satisfaction.

This study revealed differences in sexual desire between heterosexual and non-heterosexual cisgender men and women. Such information may be helpful for couples who are experiencing a mismatch in their level of sexual desire and/or individuals who are curious about the different types of sexual desire they may feel.

References:

• Peixoto, M.M. (2023). Differences in solitary and dyadic sexual desire and sexual satisfaction in heterosexual and nonheterosexual cisgender men and women. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 20(5), 597-604. https://doi.org/10.1093/jsxmed/qdad033