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Visual attention plays a central role in current theories of sexual information processing and is key to informing the use of eye-tracking techniques in the study of typical sexual preferences and more recently, in the study of atypical preferences such as pedophilia (prepubescent children) and hebephilia (pubescent children). The aim of this theoretical-empirical review is to connect the concepts of a visual attention-based model of sexual arousal processing with eye movements as indicators of atypical sexual interests, to substantiate the use of eye-tracking as a useful indirect measure of sexual preferences according to sex and age of the stimuli. Implications for research are discussed in terms of recognizing the value, scope and limitations of eye-tracking in the study of pedophilia and other chronophilias in males and females, and the generation of new hypotheses using this type of indirect measure of human sexual response.

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A number of studies have been claimed to show that ovarian hormones, whose levels fluctuate throughout the menstrual cycle, affect consumer preferences and financial decisions. The present article aims to critically analyze the literature examining associations between the phases of the menstrual cycle (peri-ovulatory vs. non-ovulatory) with particular consumer preferences (especially regarding clothing choices) and economic decisions (especially in regards to economic games and risk-taking). A search for studies was conducted in Web of Science and Scopus between 2004 and 2022, by combining keywords of the menstrual cycle, consumer preferences, and economic decisions. Once articles were selected, we identified the main findings, the characteristics of the population, and the methods for determining the phases of the cycle. We performed a p-curve analysis on previously reported statistically significant effects. These analyses find evidence for associations between peri-ovulatory status and specific consumer preferences, most strongly for appearance-enhancing products. They yield no compelling evidence for associations between peri-ovulatory status and financial decisions and risk-taking. We offer provisional conclusions and call for additional studies that possess sufficient statistical power to detect true meaningful effects, especially in the domain of financial decisions.

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Humans have a complex and dynamic mating system, and there is evidence that our modern sexual preferences stem from evolutionary pressures. In the current paper we explore male use of a dual mating strategy: simultaneously pursuing both a long-term relationship (pair-bonding) as well as short-term, extra-pair copulations (variety-seeking). The primary constraint on such sexual pursuits is partner preferences, which can limit male behavior and hence cloud inferences about male preferences. The aim of this study was to investigate heterosexual male mating preferences when largely unconstrained by female partner preferences. In service of this goal, female full-service sex workers (N = 6) were surveyed on the traits and behaviors of their male clients (N = 516) and iterative cluster analysis was used to identify male mating typologies. Two clusters emerged: clients seeking a pair-bonding experience and clients seeking a variety experience. Results also suggested that romantically committed men were more likely to seek a variety experience than a relationship experience. We conclude that men desire both pair-bonding and sexual variety, and that their preference for one might be predicted by fulfilment of the other. These findings have implications for relationships, providing insight into motivations for male infidelity.

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How do female sexual preferences for male ornamental traits arise? The developmental origins of female preferences are still an understudied area, with most explanations pointing to genetic mechanisms. One intriguing, little-explored, alternative focuses on the role of associative learning in driving this process. According to this hypothesis, a preference learned in an ecological context can be transferred into a sexual context, resulting in changes in mating preferences as a by-product. I tested this hypothesis by first training female guppies to associate either orange or black colour with food delivery; I then presented videos of males with computer-manipulated coloured spots and measured female preference towards them. I also allowed females from both treatments to mate with males differing in their ratio of orange-to-black spots and measured the males' reproductive success. After training, female sexual preferences significantly diverged among treatments in the expected direction. In addition, orange males sired a greater proportion of offspring with females food-conditioned on orange compared to those conditioned on black. These results show that mating preferences can arise as a by-product of associative learning, which, via translation into variation in male fitness, can become associated with indirect genetic benefits, potentially leading to further evolution.

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BACKGROUND: Application-based data regarding sexual health and sexual behavior in various sexually active populations are scarce but at the same time relevant with regards to prevention and healthcare supply strategies. Given the structure of its attendees, the Walk In Ruhr (WIR) Center for Sexual Health and Medicine is able to obtain data from diverse living environments. OBJECTIVES: Based on the online HIV/STI risk test, questionnaires, and attendee data from the WIR, this study aims to deduce population-related findings with regards to age, gender, sexual orientation, and sexual and risk behavior as well as the respective needs for prevention. The influence of the SARS-CoV-19 pandemic on sexual behavior is examined by comparing various phases. METHODS: The analyzed data sources are the online HIV/STI risk test, the COWIR, and the PrEP study as well as the immunological outpatient clinic and the public health department at the WIR. RESULTS: Notwithstanding contact restrictions, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have increased from 2019 to 2020. Apart from men having sex with men and females having sex with females, young people also have an increased risk of STIs based on sexual practices and the number of sexual contacts. A large number of bisexual and transsexual contacts was found. SARS-CoV­2 led to a decrease in sexual contacts; sexual practices continued. There was a growing proportion of STI tests and the treatment rate including partner treatment rose. DISCUSSION: Data from the WIR center show that young attendees with an active sexual life are being reached. The results from questionnaires and the online HIV/STI risk test are mirrored in increased positive STI test results. These results vary depending on sexual behavior and sexual preferences such that specific strategies for sexual education, prevention, testing, and therapy are required.

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Neurological disorders can be mis-diagnosed as psychiatric ones. This might happen to pedophilia emerging as a symptom of brain insult (i.e. acquired pedophilic behavior). This paper aims to delineate a behavioral profile that might help to identify defendants whose pedophilic behavior is likely to be the consequence of a neurological disorder. Through a systematic review of the literature, seventeen clinical and behavioral variables of the modus operandi and victimology that can distinguish between acquired and developmental pedophilic behavior have been collected. Seven of these were found to be consistent behavioral indicators (i.e. red flags) for acquired pedophilia. Cluster hierarchical analysis on the seventeen variables collected through the systematic review of the literature on cases of acquired pedophilic behavior was applied to a new dataset including 66 Italian closed cases of pedophilia. Stepwise regression and correlation analyses were carried out to further examine the differences between the clusters identified in the cluster analysis. Results revealed that the new sample was partitioned into two clusters. Individuals with ascertained acquired pedophilia were grouped together. The clusters widely differed for the prevalence of red flags (mean number of red flags in each cluster: 2.14 ±â€¯0.79 vs 4.96 ±â€¯0.93, p < 0.001), while no between cluster difference emerged for the other clinical and behavioral variables. Regression analysis provided a robust model that included the three most significant red flags that explain over 64.5% of the variance (absence of masking, spontaneous confession and offenders older age). An organic origin of pedophilic behavior should be suspected if red flags are present in a defendant charged with pedophilia. In those cases, an in depth trans-disciplinary neuroscientific investigation is advocated. The behavioral profile identified might help to provide a proper assessment of defendants.

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The reproductive interests of females and males often diverge in terms of the number of mating partners, an individual's phenotype, origin, genes, and parental investment. This conflict may lead to a variety of sex-specific adaptations and also affect mate choice in both sexes. We conducted an experiment with the bush-cricket Pholidoptera griseoaptera (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae), a species in which females receive direct nutritional benefits during mating. Mated individuals could be assigned due to the genotype of male spermatodoses, which are stored in the female's spermatheca. After 3 weeks of possible copulations in established mating groups which were random replications with four females and males we did not find consistent assortative mating preference regarding to body size of mates. However, our results showed that the frequency of within-pair copulations (192 analyzed mating events in 128 possible pairwise combinations) was positively associated with the body size of both mated individuals with significant interaction between sexes (having one mate very large, association between body size and the number of copulations has weaken). Larger individuals also showed a higher degree of polygamy. This suggests that body size of this nuptial gift-giving insect species is an important sexual trait according to which both sexes choose their optimal mating partner.

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For nearly 60 years since the seminal paper from W.C Young and colleagues (Phoenix et al., 1959), the principles of sexual differentiation of the brain and behavior have maintained that female-typical sexual behaviors (e.g., lordosis) and sexual preferences (e.g., attraction to males) are the result of low androgen levels during development, whereas higher androgen levels promote male-typical sexual behaviors (e.g., mounting and thrusting) and preferences (e.g., attraction to females). However, recent reports suggest that the relationship between androgens and male-typical behaviors is not always linear - when androgen signaling is increased in male rodents, via exogenous androgen exposure or androgen receptor overexpression, males continue to exhibit male-typical sexual behaviors, but their sexual preferences are altered such that their interest in same-sex partners is increased. Analogous to this rodent literature, recent findings indicate that high level androgen exposure may contribute to the sexual orientation of a subset of gay men who prefer insertive anal sex and report more male-typical gender traits, whereas gay men who prefer receptive anal sex, and who on average report more gender nonconformity, present with biomarkers suggestive of low androgen exposure. Together, the evidence indicates that for both mice and men there is an inverted-U curvilinear relationship between androgens and sexual preferences, such that low and high androgen exposure increases androphilic sexual attraction, whereas relative mid-range androgen exposure leads to gynephilic attraction. Future directions for studying how individual differences in biological development mediate sexual behavior and sexual preferences in both mice and humans are discussed.

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CONTEXT: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the most catastrophic events of health causing huge psychosocial and economic morbidity consequences. AIM: The study aims to study the clinico-epidemiological profile and high-risk sexual behavior among clients attending STI clinic at tertiary care hospital in North India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study was conducted at STI clinic, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Data from 1283 clients attending STI clinic between August 2015 and July 2016 were compiled using master client register and STI/reproductive tract infection patient-wise register, and a final completed data set of these patients was analyzed according to the aims and objectives. RESULTS: On analyzing the various factors associated with high-risk sexual behavior among clients attending STI clinic marital status, sexual preference and employment status were found to be significantly associated with high-risk sexual behavior (P < 0.05). On multivariate analysis, unmarried/divorced/widow/separated marital status (odds ratio [OR]: 14.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.89-114.17; P = 0.00) and unemployed status (OR: 6.10; 95% CI: 2.00-18.60; P = 0.02) were found to be independent predictors of high-risk sexual behavior (unprotected sex). CONCLUSIONS: Based on findings of study, it is highly recommended to provide periodic screening to these STI patients for assessment of their sexual behavior along with specific counseling session.

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Hormones are of crucial importance for human behavior. Cyclical changes of ovarian hormones throughout women's menstrual cycle are suggested to underlie fluctuation in masculinity preference for both faces and bodies. In this study we tested this hypothesis based on daily measurements of estradiol and progesterone throughout menstrual cycle, and multiple measurements of women's preference towards masculinity of faces and bodies of men. We expected that due to a large variation among daily hormonal levels we would not observe a direct effect of daily hormone levels, but rather that average levels of ovarian hormones throughout the cycle (a reliable marker of a probability of conception) would better predict women's preferences. We found a negative relationship between average progesterone levels and facial masculinity preference, but only among women who were in long-term relationships. There was no relationship between facial masculinity preference and either of the estradiol or progesterone daily levels. Similarly, only average levels of hormones were significantly related to facial symmetry preference. For women who were in relationships estradiol was positively related to symmetry preference, while for single women this relationship was opposite. For body masculinity preference there were no significant relationships with neither averaged nor daily hormonal levels. Taken together, our results further suggest that overall cycle levels of ovarian hormones (averaged for a cycle) are better predictors of facial masculinity and symmetry preference than daily levels assessed during preferences' tests. Importantly, including information about relationship status in the investigations of hormonal bases of preferences is crucial.

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Although under investigation for more than two decades, a common agreement on the occurrence of cyclical shifts in women's masculinity and symmetry preferences is still missing. Such shifts are considered to be an important feature of sexual selection as they supposedly direct women's attention towards cues for "good genes" (e.g. masculinity and symmetry) during times when probability of conception is the highest. Multiple studies have, however, failed to find these shifts. We attempt to address this lack of agreement analysing a sample of 110 healthy women, using intra-participant design and repeated measurements of oestradiol and LH during the cycle. To ensure the reliable detection of increased conception probability, both LH- based ovulation tests and multiple oestradiol measurements were used. We found no significant differences between women's preferences during different cycle phases for either body or facial masculinity, or for facial symmetry. Differences remained non-significant after controlling for participants' sexual openness, relationship status, and self-judged attractiveness. We suggest that putative cyclical shifts in preferences for cues for good genes are either very small (impossible to be tracked even with a relatively large sample) or they are far more complex than previously assumed, and further studies accounting for more confounding variables should be undertaken.

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The notion of human sexual preferences relates to relatively stable patterns of sexual response and to directing sexual behaviors toward specific arousing stimuli, which are also important for sexual satisfaction. The preferences may pertain to the properties of the object or the sexual activity itself. Diagnosing sexual preferences, in its basic form, is conducted with the use of disorder criteria defined in diagnostic classifications (ICD-10, DSM-5). However, while employing these criteria enables the categorization of the patient's sexual preferences as normal or pathological, they seem clearly insufficient for describing complex sexual interest patterns in a comprehensive manner. The goal of this article is to present a detailed dimensional model for describing sexual preferences. This proposal assumes the description of two aspects of preference: a contentual aspect, defining the individual hierarchy of sexually attractive and aversive stimuli, and a formal aspect. The latter involves four dimensions: the diversity of stimuli falling within the pattern of the patient's sexual interest, preference changeability in time, the coherence between individual components of responding to sexual stimuli, and insight into one's own preferences. The proposed model supplements the basic description of sexual preferences conducted on the basis of diagnostic criteria. The model can be a tool useful for diagnostic practice, particularly in precise characterization of various difficulties experienced by patients in relation to the properties of their sexual interests. It can also inspire new research on features of human sexual response patterns which have been neglected in previous analyses.

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Conditioning is often thought of as a basic, automatic learning process that has limited applicability to higher-level human behavior. In addition, conditioning is seen as separable from, and even secondary to, "innate" processes. These ideas involve some misconceptions. The aim of this article is to provide a clearer, more refined sense of human sexual conditioning. After providing some background information and reviewing what is known from laboratory conditioning studies, human sexual conditioning is compared to sexual conditioning in nonhumans, to "innate" sexual responding, and to other types of human learning processes. Recommendations for moving forward in human sexual conditioning research are included.

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BACKGROUND: Patients with a rectal foreign body (RFB) are still a rare entity in general surgery departments but with an increasing incidence over the last years. This case is sometimes difficult to treat, and due to a lack of standardized treatment options, the aim of the study was to present our clinical experiences with the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to RFBs and a review of the currently available literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected retrospectively from the patient's records of 20 patients who were treated due to an RFB between 2006 and 2016. Patient's demographics, circumstances of insertion, inserted objects, clinical presentation, laboratory and imaging results, as well as surgical treatment and duration of hospital stay were analyzed. Additionally, a review of the literature was performed with the search items "rectal foreign body" and "surgical therapy". Because many publications were just case reports, we did not perform a meta-analysis or a systematic review. RESULTS: Twenty-two cases in 20 patients (80% male) presented to the emergency room. The mean age was 38.5±13.7 years. In 68.2% of the cases, the cause of RFB was due to sexual preferences. The following objects were inserted: six dildos, three vibrators, two bottles, one glass, one deodorant, one apple, one fever thermometer, multiple glass fragments and razor blades in one patient and six unknown objects. For 18 RFBs, manual peranal removal without anesthesia was possible in the emergency room, but two patients required intravenous analgesia. Two patients were transferred to the operating room and the foreign body was removed via the anus under general anesthesia. Open surgery with a laparotomy was necessary for two complicated cases. One patient was in need of surgery due to a vacuum generated by the RFB, whereas the second patient suffered from a sigmoid perforation. In all cases, there was no morbidity or mortality. CONCLUSION: In most cases, the removal of an RFB can be performed peranally in the emergency room without further complications, therefore representing the therapy of choice for RFB. Only in cases with perforation, acute abdomen, or failed peranal approaches, surgery is indicated to remove the foreign body.

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OBJECTIVES: Women tend to have a smaller chin, fuller lips, and rounder eyes than men, due in part to the effects of estrogen. These features associated with facial femininity have been found to be positively associated with fertility. Although young men in their 20s typically judge facial femininity as more attractive than facial masculinity, at all ages, men with higher sexual desire and testosterone levels tend to show a marked preference for feminine faces. In the current study, we extend this research using a large cross-national sample to test the hypothesis that facial femininity preferences will be stronger among younger men than among older men. We also tested whether these preferences are influenced by self-reported sexual openness, national health indices, and gross national income. METHOD: We quantified attractiveness judgments (i.e., preferences) among 2,125 heterosexual men (aged 17-73 years) for female faces that were manipulated to appear more or less feminine using a computer graphics program. RESULTS: Facial femininity preferences decreased with age, being highest among men in their 30s and lowest among men in their 70s. This pattern was independent of men's sexual openness and cross-national variation in health and socioeconomic development. DISCUSSION: Our study shows that men's preferences for facial femininity are age dependent. At the proximate level, differences in preferences could reflect age-related declines in testosterone levels. These age-related declines in preferences could benefit older men, who are less able to invest in mating effort, and thus may opt out of competition with younger men for mates with potentially higher fertility.

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It has been proposed that women's preferences for male facial sexual dimorphism are positively correlated with conception probability and differ between short- and long-term mating contexts. In this study, we tested this assumption by analyzing relationships between estradiol levels to the women's preferences of male faces that were manipulated to vary in masculinity. Estradiol was measured in daily saliva samples throughout the entire menstrual cycle collected by Polish women with regular menstrual cycles. In our analyses, we included the three most commonly used definitions of the fertile window in the literature. After computing the overall masculinity preference of each participant and measuring hormone levels, we found that i) the timing of ovulation varied greatly among women (between -11 and -17days from the onset of the next menses, counting backwards), ii) there was no relationship between daily, measured during the day of the test (N=83) or average for the cycle (N=115) estradiol levels and masculinity preferences, iii) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between women in low- and high-conception probability phases of the cycle, and iv) there were no differences in masculinity preferences between short- and long-term mating contexts. Our results do not support the idea that women's preferences for a potential sexual partner's facial masculinity fluctuate throughout the cycle.

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O objetivo desta pesquisa exploratória foi identificar o início da atividade sexual, a satisfação e as preferências sexuais de mulheres jovens da cidade de São Paulo. A amostra foi composta por 60 mulheres com idade entre 18 e 21 anos, sexualmente ativas, que responderam um questionário preparado pelas pesquisadoras. Os resultados indicaram um início precoce da atividade sexual, apontaram que a maioria das jovens desta amostra prefere a penetração vaginal e o sexo oral recebido do parceiro. A grande maioria dessas mulheres afirmou estar satisfeita sexualmente, porém creditam esta satisfação ao parceiro e ao estabelecimento de um relacionamento amoroso e não à qualidade da relação sexual, nem ao orgasmo em si. Outros estudos com foco na satisfação sexual feminina são necessários e importantes para que essas mulheres sejam compreendidas e para que possam ter mais prazer nas relações sexuais.

It is an exploratory research in order to identify the onset of sexual activity, satisfaction and sexual preferences of young women in São Paulo. A group of 60 women aged 18 to 21, with regular sexual activity, answered a questionnaire prepared by the researchers. The results indicate an early onset of sexual activity, they showed that most young women in the sample prefer vaginal penetration and oral sex received from the partner. The vast majority of these women claimed to be sexually satisfied, but credit this satisfaction to the partner and the establishment of a loving relationship and not to the quality of intercourse or to the orgasm itself. Other studies focusing on female sexual satisfaction are necessary and important for these women to be understood and to improve the pleasure in sexual intercourse.

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O objetivo desta pesquisa exploratória foi identificar o início da atividade sexual, a satisfação e as preferências sexuais de mulheres jovens da cidade de São Paulo. A amostra foi composta por 60 mulheres com idade entre 18 e 21 anos, sexualmente ativas, que responderam um questionário preparado pelas pesquisadoras. Os resultados indicaram um início precoce da atividade sexual, apontaram que a maioria das jovens desta amostra prefere a penetração vaginal e o sexo oral recebido do parceiro. A grande maioria dessas mulheres afirmou estar satisfeita sexualmente, porém creditam esta satisfação ao parceiro e ao estabelecimento de um relacionamento amoroso e não à qualidade da relação sexual, nem ao orgasmo em si. Outros estudos com foco na satisfação sexual feminina são necessários e importantes para que essas mulheres sejam compreendidas e para que possam ter mais prazer nas relações sexuais.(AU)

It is an exploratory research in order to identify the onset of sexual activity, satisfaction and sexual preferences of young women in São Paulo. A group of 60 women aged 18 to 21, with regular sexual activity, answered a questionnaire prepared by the researchers. The results indicate an early onset of sexual activity, they showed that most young women in the sample prefer vaginal penetration and oral sex received from the partner. The vast majority of these women claimed to be sexually satisfied, but credit this satisfaction to the partner and the establishment of a loving relationship and not to the quality of intercourse or to the orgasm itself. Other studies focusing on female sexual satisfaction are necessary and important for these women to be understood and to improve the pleasure in sexual intercourse.(AU)

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A novel explanation of the evolutionary process leading to the appearance of differences in sexual preferences is proposed. The explanation is fully general: it is not specific to any particular type of sexual preferences, nor to any species or population. It shows how different sexual preferences can appear in any large group-living population in which sexual selection is sufficiently strong in each sex. The main idea is that the lack of interest toward a member of the opposite sex may be interpreted as a signal of popularity, and thus of reproductive success. It is then boosted by the Fisher runaway process far beyond the point where it becomes costly, resulting in a generalized trait-lack of interest toward the opposite sex. If the interest diverts toward other targets then different sexual preferences emerge. This hypothesis is placed into the context of other works on different sexual preferences in animals; supporting evidence from the literature is reviewed and additional research needed to confirm or refute the hypothesis in any given species is outlined.

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Over 140 years ago Charles Darwin first argued that birdsong and human music, having no clear survival benefit, were obvious candidates for sexual selection. Whereas the first contention is now universally accepted, his theory that music is a product of sexual selection through mate choice has largely been neglected. Here, I provide the first, to my knowledge, empirical support for the sexual selection hypothesis of music evolution by showing that women have sexual preferences during peak conception times for men that are able to create more complex music. Two-alternative forced-choice experiments revealed that woman only preferred composers of more complex music as short-term sexual partners when conception risk was highest. No preferences were displayed when women chose which composer they would prefer as a long-term partner in a committed relationship, and control experiments failed to reveal an effect of conception risk on women's preferences for visual artists. These results suggest that women may acquire genetic benefits for offspring by selecting musicians able to create more complex music as sexual partners, and provide compelling support for Darwin's assertion 'that musical notes and rhythm were first acquired by the male or female progenitors of mankind for the sake of charming the opposite sex'.

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