Mindfulness is “the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without evaluation” a skill which is developed through mediation. It is used in many types of pain, cognitive, and stress reduction therapies. This type of intervention has helped reduces stress, depression, anxiety and even helped drug addictions. Now, it is being applied to sex as well being called “sexual mindfulness”.

Recent studies have shown some evidence that men have a higher sexual mindfulness than women, leading researchers of a new study to ponder if women’s lower sexual mindfulness is why women tend to orgasm less consistently.

The researchers were interested in finding out if one partner’s mindfulness during sex had an influence on their partner’s outcome. The study was conducted on 1473 mixed-sex newlywed couples in the US, with an average age of 29 for women and 31 for men.

The participants completed a sexual mindfulness assessment about their sexual experiences. They completed questions about their awareness during sex (e.g., “I pay attention to my emotions during sex”) and their non-judgement during sex (e.g., “During sex, I sometimes get distracted by evaluating myself or my partner”). They were also asked about their relationships and how often they experience orgasm with their partner.

The results showed mindfulness being related to improvements in sexual wellbeing. Particularly, mindfulness helped sexual harmony, orgasm consistency, and relationship flourishing. There were also partner effects, meaning that if one member of the couple had greater sexual mindfulness it led to positive outcomes in their partner. The researchers postulated that being more mindful promoted a more intentional and “in the moment” type of sex instead of a “goal-driven” one, leading to a more meaningful sexual experience.

The researchers believe the orgasm gap between men and women can possibly be addressed by using mindfulness. In the study, those that were more aware during sex, were more consistent with their orgasms, and so were their partners. Taking things slowly and being less judgmental, might benefit women the most by getting them the time they need to being sufficiently aroused and achieve orgasm.

A note the researchers gave with this study is that the study was down with only young mixed-sex newlyweds, and further studies should expand the demographics.

Original Article: https://www.psypost.org/2021/11/mindfulness-during-sex-linked-to-improved-sexual-well-being-and-orgasm-consistency-in-married-couples-study-finds-62130
Study: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-021-02054-0