Alcohol and human sexuality: Review and integration.

Abstract

Summarizes physiological findings and reviews the psychological experimental literature investigating the relationship between alcohol and human sexuality. Specifically, the authors attempt to reconcile the apparent contradictions found in the effects of alcohol on male and female sexual responding. The review concludes (a) that alcohol disinhibits psychological sexual arousal and suppresses physiological responding, the former effect being stronger at lower doses of alcohol and the latter effect at higher doses; (b) that although suppression is strictly pharmacological in nature, disinhibition appears to be both pharmacological (the result of cognitive impairment) and psychological (the result of socially learned expectancies); and (c) that expectancies and cognitive impairment can disinhibit separately or jointly.

Cites (3)

1. Social and behavioral consequences of alcohol consumption and expectancy: A meta-analysis.
   Hull, Jay G., Bond, Charles F. · 1986 · Psychological Bulletin
2. Volunteer bias in erotica research: Effects of intrusiveness of measure and sexual background
   Wolchik, Sharlene A., Braver, Sanford L., Jensen, Karen · 1985 · Archives of Sexual Behavior
3. Effects of ethanol on the hypothalamic-pituitary-luteinizing hormone axis and testicular steroidogenesis.
   Cicero, T J, Meyer, E R, Bell, R D · 1979 · The Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

Show all 3 references

Cited by (11)

1. Substance use and risky sexual behavior for exposure to HIV: Issues in methodology, interpretation, and prevention.
   Leigh, Barbara C., Stall, Ron · 1993 · American Psychologist
2. The Motivation-Facilitation Model of Sexual Offending
   Seto, Michael C. · 2019 · Sexual Abuse
3. Alcohol and Sexual Assault
   2009 · Encyclopedia of Human Relationships
4. Alcohol consumption and risk of incident human immunodeficiency virus infection: a meta-analysis
   Baliunas, Dolly, Rehm, Jürgen, Irving, Hyacinth, Shuper, Paul · 2010 · International Journal of Public Health
5. Causal Considerations on Alcohol and HIV/AIDS -- A Systematic Review
   Shuper, P. A., Neuman, M., Kanteres, F., Baliunas, D., Joharchi, N., Rehm, J. · 2010 · Alcohol and Alcoholism

See all 257