Self-Transcendence, Sexual Desire, and Sexual Frequency

Self-forgetfulness, a facet of self-transcendence linked to altered states of consciousness, is associated with sexual desire and frequency. In 261 Portuguese adults, women's self-forgetfulness correlated with their desired frequency of intercourse and noncoital sex, while men's self-forgetfulness correlated with their actual frequency of those activities. These associations remained after controlling for openness to experience and relationship status.

Study at a glance

Abstract

ABSTRACT Self-forgetfulness is a facet of self-transcendence characterized by tendency to experience altered states of consciousness. We examined associations of self-forgetfulness with sexual desire and frequency. Two hundred sixty-one Portuguese men and women completed the self-forgetfulness subscale of the Temperament and Character Inventory–Revised, a measure of openness to experience, and a questionnaire on desired and actual frequency of vaginal intercourse, noncoital sex, and masturbation in the past month. In simple and partial correlations controlling for openness to experience and relationship status, women's self-forgetfulness correlated with desired frequency of intercourse and noncoital sex. For men, self-forgetfulness correlated with actual frequency of intercourse and noncoital sex.