Emotional intelligence in women, the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, appears to increase their number of orgasms, suggests a study by the Department of Twin Research and published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine.
The study suggests that low emotional intelligence is a potential risk factor for female orgasmic dysfunction, which is the second most frequently reported female sexual problem with two in five women stating to never, or finding it difficult to achieve an orgasm.
The investigators carried out this study by recruiting 2035 female volunteers from the TwinsUK registry aged 18-83 years. All completed questionnaires detailing their general sexual behavior and functioning, and a validated questionnaire on emotional intelligence. The research found a significant association between emotional intelligence and the frequency of orgasm during masturbation and intercourse. This led to the conclusion that a high emotional intelligence level contributes to the ability to achieve orgasm more frequently.
These findings are vital in terms of identification of the multiple behavioral risk factors that may be associated with orgasmic disorder and will be vital to improve diagnosis and treatment of female orgasmic dysfunction. Andrea Burri MSc, Psychologist at King’s College London and lead author of the study says, “Emotional intelligence seems to have a direct impact on women’s sexual functioning by influencing her ability to communicate her sexual expectations and desires to her partner.”
Tim Spector, Director of the Twin Research Department and co-author of the study says, “These findings show that emotional intelligence is an advantage in many aspects of your life including the bedroom. This study will help enormously in the development of behavioral and cognitive therapies to improve women sexual lives”
Andrea Burri also adds that, “Our finding that women with high emotional intelligence have significantly more frequent orgasm during masturbation than women with lower emotional intelligence suggests that a woman’s feeling of control, or the capacity to integrate physical stimulation with fantasy, may be contributors to orgasm as well as the better knowledge of women’s own body”.
Notes to editors
The paper, Emotional Intelligence and its Association with Orgasmic Frequency in Women, is published online in The Journal of Sexual Medicine ,and will appear in the July 2009 issue. To view the paper, please visithttp://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/122368832/abstract
Full Citation: Burri AV, Cherkas LM, Spector, TD; Emotional Intelligence and Its Association with Orgasmic Frequency in Women; J Sex Med; 2009; DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01297.x
The Department of Twin Research & Genetic Epidemiology
The Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London has a database of 10,000 twins and studies a wide variety of diseases and traits and has lately expanded their research on human sexuality, leading to several high profile publications. For more information and pdf-copies of other publications please phone: 020 7188 6765 or visit the website: www.twinsUK.ac.uk
Further information
Andrea Burri MSc
Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London, UK
Email: andrea.burri@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7188 1505
Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact wbnewseurope@wiley.com
