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How many American women use vibrators within their sexual repertoire? Furthermore, are there differences between users and non-users when it comes to health conscious behaviors and sexual functioning? Read More
vibrator study
Gad - I may be game. I teach a sex class with 110 students (all juniors and seniors) - about 70 of which are women. Last time I surveyed them on this - a couple of years ago - about 40% were vibrator users. I also have access to a reliable Big Five measure that comes in several forms that one of my colleagues (David McCord) developed.
Are you thinking of a simple paper an pencil measure - a couple of vibrator questions and the Big Five?
Let me know....
Hal
Exactly. Let's do it!
I look forward to collaborating with you Hal.
GS
Really peculiar
that the only consideration of "harm" is cuts and tears to the vagina. Sexual desire arises in the brain and more and more males and females are reporting needing increasingly intense stimulation to get off. That sounds like a pretty serious form of "harm," as it may limit their sexual options to super-human ones.
Why is no one polling consumers about this risk?
Because it isn't necessary!
Go reread the post. Dr. Saad recounts that women who use vibrators reporter higher total sexual functioning in the 23-44 and 45 - 60 research group. To wit...
(3) Women who used vibrators scored higher on the FSFI scale (total score) for two out of the three age groups, namely the 23-44 and 45-60 age groups (but not for the 18-22 age cohort). As the researchers astutely point out, there is a chicken-egg issue with these findings, namely it might be the case that vibrator use improves sexual functioning or that women who have better sexual functioning are more likely to be open to incorporate sex toys within their repertoire. The collected data did not permit for establishing a causal explanation.
***
The data speaks for itself. There may be issues with overstimulation and porn and men, but not vibrators and women. This should be a reason for celebration.
Does the test
simply test whether someone can climax? If so, it wouldn't reveal a decrease in sensitivity. A lot of guys don't realize they have decreasing sensitivity until they try to connect with a real partner instead of constant novelty and a death-grip while masturbating. Women sometimes complain of the same phenomenon.
There's the majority, and then there are exceptions
There's the data and the majority, and then there are anecdotal exceptions. What Dr. Saad is reporting on is what the data indicates: women who use vibrators score higher, not lower, on a self-report scale of overall sexual functioning.
Of course there will be exceptions. For example, people have bad reactions to diuretic blood pressure medications that have been in use for decades. Sometimes the diuretics even set of a chain of events, like pancreatitis, that can kill them. But for the vast majority, they're safe and effective.
That's what data is all about.
Data is only as good as a study's design
and sexologists are notorious for not asking the right questions because of their pre-existing biases. Unless this test tests overall sensitivity to subtle stimuli, rather than capacity for orgasm with toy, it may not be telling us much that's useful.
Women's self-reports
This data is not a question of sexologists asking the wrong questions. It is women self-reporting about their own sexual functioning and satisfaction.
Basically, the all-female jury is in, and it says that they're functioning better and have overall more satisfying sex lives if vibrators are so incorporated.
How 'bout
a citation to a PDF of the full study. Again, if women are just answering the question, "Can I have more orgasms with a vibrator?" it doesn't mean they aren't becoming more desensitized to sex with a partner.
I'm hearing more and more stories from women who *are* experiencing desensitization. Perhaps this is a creeping phenomenon.
PDF of the full study
http://www.trojanprofessional.com/pdfs/JSM-Women.pdf
Again, this is women's self-reports about their own sexual functioning and satisfaction, on a measurement scale that has been well-tested.
Does the test
simply test whether someone can climax? If so, it wouldn't reveal a decrease in sensitivity. A lot of guys don't realize they have decreasing sensitivity until they try to connect with a real partner instead of constant novelty and a death-grip while masturbating. Women sometimes complain of the same phenomenon.
Study was conducted by Kinsey Institute
This study is about as gold-standard as can be when it comes to sexology. It was conducted by the Kinsey Institute. The same size is well over 2,500, and representative in its demographics.
It looks at desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and pain. Also reports on numbness, irritation, pain, inflammation, pain and cuts. Numbness feels to me close to "decrease in sensitivity," no?
In any case, the data is crystal clear: In women's self-reports, as a general rule, those who use vibrators have better self-reported sex lives than those who don't.
Issue settled!
Now, let's see a similar survey for men and pornography, and lets see how much pornography use it takes to get to that "decreasing sensitivity" thing, how much masturbation it takes, and whether the phenomena is real as a general rule. I accept it is real at least anecdotally. Now let's see prevalence.
Vibrators are not taboo anymore...
I lived in Montreal for a number of years, and although I visited sex shops many times, I never really bought one because I didn't think they were going to help me that much.
I'm 50 now, and I changed my mind about vibrators after I got a high-end vibrator as a gift, then I bought one at a shop in Montreal. I still don't use them as often, as I also have other non-vibrating items that I also use.
However, I feel that there's a cultural shift in the way a lot of people view vibrators. They're not as taboo as they used to be, and now everyone pretty much can have one even if there's not a sex shop around the corner. There's Amazon and Ebay where you can get one delivered directly to your home in a discreet package.
To the reader who pointed to the unsolicited plug by another reader...
I agree with you. I have gone ahead and deleted the comments of the reader who did not contribute anything of relevance to my post but rather simply plugged her writings. In deleting her comments, it automatically deleted yours as well (as it was embedded within her comments as a reply).
Thanks for reminding me of this failed attempt at spam advertising (which has been increasing on my blog).
GS
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