Unfortunately, this ABC/Good Morning America article opted for sensationalism rather than responsible reporting, in my opinion. In it, they discuss a filmmaker who taped teenagers talking about sex including having oral sex at young ages and stripping or having sex for money or consumer goods (what they term “casual prostitution”). However, ask most researchers who study adolescent sexuality and they’ll tell you a very different story: Continue Reading →
Dr. Debby Herbenick
Dr. Debby Herbenick is a sex researcher at Indiana University, sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute, columnist, and author of five books about sex and love. Learn more about her work at www.sexualhealth.indiana.edu.
Recent posts
Sexsomia or sleep sex: How sleep disorders are linked to sex
Having worked as a sex researcher, educator and columnist over the past decade, one of the more interesting questions that I’ve been asked – and quite a few times, by the way – pertains to sexual behaviors that occur during sleep (sometimes called sexsomnia or sleepsex). Sometimes people (usually women) have described their partner’s (usually men) behavior as such: that while they were sleeping, they would wake up to find that their partner was masturbating – often quite aggressively or even “violently”, according to their descriptions. Or else they would wake to find that their partner was trying to have sex (usually intercourse) with them. In all cases that I can recall hearing about, the person who was exhibiting sleepsex didn’t remember doing whatever it was he’d been doing the next day. Often the woman would try to wake him from his sleep, sometimes successfully, other times not. Continue Reading →
How to flirt: tips for even the most seasoned partners
Flirting is used in many different ways. At its most basic level, people may flirt with others in order to be able to get something they want: a discount, a better place in line, or free drinks. In the context of romance and sex, people flirt to signal their interest. A prolonged look across a crowded room can mean “I’m interested, come talk to me!” or it can pose a question, as in ”wanna have sex?” Continue Reading →
Public Sex: Four Tips For Better Sex
In the previous three weeks, I wrote about three types of sex that I think are worth a try: Passionate Crazy Sex, Lazy Day in Bed Sex, and Making Sweet Romance. So what’s the fourth type of sex that gets my vote? Public Peek-a-Boo Sex, of course.
Not that I’m advocating having sex where you could potentially get caught (and I am certainly not advocating any type of public sex that would be noticed by others or that would disturb or offend others), but I am advocating that at least once in your life, you consider some type of public sex. Why? Continue Reading →
Mary Roach on “Ten things you didn’t know about orgasm”
A former student alerted me to this YouTube video from TED (one of my favorite sites) of author extraordinaire Mary Roach discussing interesting research findings and case studies related to orgasm. If you haven’t yet read her books Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex and Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, check them out – she is incredibly smart, witty and funny. Continue Reading →
When Sex is Boring: Questions to Ask Yourself
Assuming, that is, that you actually like this person and are attracted to him or her. I made this one day after work when I apparently had too much time on my hands. And if you click on the image once or twice, you should be able to enlarge it. Feel free to print it out and tape it to the wall above your bed so that you can see it while you are in missionary or woman on top and wondering how to make things a little more fun and unexpected. And if all else fails, check out my guide or Gizmodo’s guide to iPhone sex. Continue Reading →
Better Birth Control for Women: Now Tastier and Cuter Than Ever
Yesterday on Gizmodo, I saw a post about “Wacky Condoms” that featured animal-shaped condoms, some bearing lights. Though fun or fun-ny, aside from the lights and potential accompanying music, animal shaped condoms themselves are nothing new. I first saw some animal-shaped condoms when I started working at The Kinsey Institute many moons ago. As you can see in this photo (squint; they’re at the top), they used to regularly display a few shelves of decorative condoms in the Institute’s gallery. I wish I had a more detailed photo but there were quite a few unusual shapes on display. Continue Reading →
How to Make Love: Five Tips for Better Sex
In the past two weeks, I’ve written about two types of sex that MSP readers might want to try: Passionate Crazy Sex and Lazy Day in Bed Sex (tips for each were included in their respective posts). So what gets my vote this week? None other than Making Sweet Romance. Although few young women and men mouth the term “make love” (at least publicly) without at least a little discomfort, the fact is that most women and men want to feel as though the physical act of sex is connected to an emotional experience of love. Okay, so this isn’t true every single time you have sex nor is it true with every partner, but certainly it’s something many of us crave here and there, right? Continue Reading →
Pregnancy and Sex: Sex Positions, Safer Sex and More
On today’s episode of The Tyra Banks Show, I – along with two smart, engaging and fun ob/gyns, Dr. Shieva Ghofrani and Dr. Afriye Emerson – discussed myths and facts related to pregnancy. Being a sex researcher and educator, I focused on debunking common sex myths related to conception and pregnancy and provided tips for enjoyable sex during pregnancy. Tune into Tyra’s show for all the details! In addition to the information I provided on-air, here are 5 facts to know about sex, conception and pregnancy:
1. There is no one sex position that is a sure-fire way to conceive. Continue Reading →
How to Use Vaginal Dilators for Vaginismus
When I taped The Tyra Banks Show episode about vaginismus and other conditions that make sex feel painful if not impossible for women to experience, I was given the opportunity to provide more in-depth information about vaginismus on a behind-the-scenes video. In this video, I was also able to share a few tips about using vaginal dilators as part of treatment for vaginismus including what to look for in a dilator (e.g., smooth, flexible dilators of varying sizes) and how women use them. In addition, information is provided about other types of treatments (such as cognitive-behavioral based sex therapy) that are sometimes to help women and couples address vaginismus and other causes of painful sex. You can watch the video on The Tyra Banks Show’s web site by clicking here and find the Pure Romance vaginal dilators I showed in the video by clicking here. More detailed information about dilator use can be found in the informational pamphlet that I wrote and that is included in the dilator set (Note: Although I participated in the design process of the dilators, I do not profit from sale of the dilator set!). Continue Reading →