{
  "id": 28401,
  "title": "Men experience more positive private thoughts of sexual submission than women, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/01/men-experience-more-positive-private-thoughts-of-sexual-submission",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-01T11:00:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "PsyPost",
    "slug": "psypost",
    "url": "https://www.psypost.org/how-private-thoughts-of-dominance-and-submission-challenge-traditional-gender-no/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Recent research published in Psychological Reports has revealed intriguing differences in how men and women experience thoughts related to sexual power dynamics, such as dominance and submission. The study, conducted by a team of psychologists from the University of Granada in Spain, sought to determine if there were variations in the relationship between these thoughts and physical arousal based on gender. This investigation aimed to challenge traditional gender roles and expectations regarding sexual behavior and mental imagery.\n\nThe researchers recruited 1,400 cisgender, heterosexual adults from Spain, with an equal number of 700 men and 700 women aged between 18 and 79. Participants were asked to report the frequency of various thoughts related to sexual dominance and submission, classifying them as either positive or negative in terms of emotional response. They also completed a questionnaire assessing their sexual function, including erection quality and vaginal lubrication, over the past year.\n\nThe findings of the study challenged conventional notions about gender desires and expectations. Men reported a higher frequency of enjoyable thoughts about taking on a dominant role compared to women. Surprisingly, men also reported a higher frequency of enjoyable thoughts regarding sexual submission, contradicting older academic models that predicted women would universally favor passive submissive roles in their private thoughts. Conversely, women reported higher frequencies of unwanted thoughts about sexual submission.\n\nThe study also noted that men generally have higher rates of sexual ideation across different contexts, which may partially explain their higher frequency of enjoyable submissive ideas. Additionally, the researchers accounted for participants' age, as previous evaluations have shown fluctuations in sexual ideation and functioning across the lifespan, with both overall sexual well-being and physical arousal declining with age.\n\nThe researchers found that enjoyable thoughts of sexual dominance were strongly associated with higher general sexual arousal and improved physical responses, such as increased lubrication and the ability to maintain an erection, for both men and women. However, unwanted thoughts of submission were linked to lower overall arousal levels. Intriguingly, the association between enjoyable thoughts of dominance and arousal was more pronounced in women than in men, while thoughts of submission, whether welcomed or unwanted, showed a stronger connection to arousal levels in men than in women.\n\nIn summary, the study highlights the complexity of sexual thoughts and their relationship to physical arousal, particularly when examining sexual power dynamics. It challenges traditional gender roles by demonstrating that men report more positive feelings about both dominant and submissive thoughts, whereas women tend to feel more negative emotions about submissive thoughts. These findings suggest that private mental imagery may serve as a safe space for individuals to explore taboo subjects, highlighting the need for further research into the nuanced relationship between sexual cognitions and physical arousal.",
  "summary": "A new psychological survey reveals that men and women frequently experience sexual thoughts that reverse traditional gender roles. Enjoying mental scenarios of female dominance or male submission is strongly associated with heightened physical arousal.",
  "key_points": [
    "Men report more positive thoughts about sexual dominance than women.",
    "Women report higher negative thoughts about sexual submission.",
    "Enjoyable dominance thoughts linked to better arousal and physical responses."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}