Why Women Have Sex

Psychologist discusses female sexuality, and what men can do to get ahead

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 6, 2009 4:50 PM CDT

(Newser) – Psychologists Cindy Meston and David Buss, authors of the 2007 study “Why Humans Have Sex,” have completed a second go-round, this time focused on women only. They come up with 237 reasons, and though they're not enumerated in the article, Time asks Buss for some highlights:

Besides sexual attraction and love, big reasons woman have sex are "to boost their self-esteem or sexual esteem, to get revenge, to secure 'mate insurance' in case a partner dumps them, to relieve pain, to achieve health benefits such as getting rid of a headache—yes, it works—to decrease stress, to lose weight, and as a sleep aid."

Buss was “surprised by the importance of revenge. Women's revenge sex involved getting back at a cheating partner, or having sex with the partner of a friend who had poached her partner.”
Advice for guys without v-shaped torsos and strong jaws: “Have good hygiene. Sense of smell is critical. Otherwise, “personality, sense of humor, self-confidence and social status” are important, Buss says. “These things can transform an average-looking man into a sexually attractive man in the minds of many women.”

[Images (1)]

[Quotes (2)]

Cindy Meston and David Buss recently completed a study on female sexuality. (Shutterstock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

We devote one chapter to 'sexual economics,' which focuses on all the ways in which women have sex as an exchange for other benefits, such as getting her partner to take out the garbage.
- David Buss, author

A man who smells bad, or who has bad breath — that can be a sexual kill switch for women.
- David Buss, psychologist

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Republicans Take Orgasm Lead in Poll

Conservatives report having less sex, but bigger percentage of fireworks, than liberals

(NEWSER) - Here's a tidbit stunning enough to interruptus your coitus: Republicans—no, make that conservative Republicans—report the highest rate of orgasms, according to a new sex poll. More than half of those who identified themselves as conservative Republicans said they reached orgasm almost every time they had sex, compared with just 40% of liberal Democrats, according to a new 6,000-subject "Singles in America" survey by Binghamton University in conjunction with Match.com. The downside? They report having less sex, reports the Daily Beast , which got an early sneak-peek at the poll. More»

Guys Think About Sex 19 Times a Day

For women, it's about half that: Study

(NEWSER) - So maybe men don't really think about sex every seven seconds, as one famous study claimed a while back. Maybe they just think about it 18.6 times a day. And women think about it 9.9 times a day. A new study out of Ohio State University gave 283 university students golf tally counters and asked them to click whenever they thought about sex, reports the LA Times . More»

Orgasms Make Women 'Invincible'

Nervous systems shut down, making it harder to feel pain

(NEWSER) - Orgasms are nice—so nice that, for women at least, they kinda make you invincible. Neuroscientists studied women pleasuring themselves while in MRI body scanners, to see what happens inside the brain during orgasm. They found that 30 different parts of the brain light up with pleasure so strong that the nervous system begins to shut down—making it more difficult for a woman to feel pain, the Sun reports. More»

Do Women Hate Sex?

Stephen Fry's comments bear evolutionary examination

(NEWSER) - Now that critics have landed on actor Stephen Fry's head like a ton of bricks for suggesting women hate sex because they don't often screw strange men in bushes, at least one Brit journalist is wondering, well, do women loathe sex? In fact, insists Steve Connor in the Independent , Fry is right in suggesting that men usually have more sexual relationships than women. That's because women, being more invested in the few offspring they create, tend to seek stable relationships with responsible males who can provide healthy genes and a nurturing home life, he adds. Men, on the other hand, are more evolutionarily driven to sow as many wild oats as possible to spread their genes as widely as possible. More»

New Sex Guru: Polish Priest

Father Ksawery Knotz takes on human sexuality

(NEWSER) - When you think "sex advice," chances are you don't think "celibate Catholic priest" in the same nanosecond. Meet Father Ksawery Knotz , the church's answer to Dan Savage—sort of. Author of tomes like Sex Is Divine, the Polish priest is making waves by taking a decidedly modern approach on the finer points of human sexuality, in a way, trying to marry it with God. "It seems to people that God and sex have nothing to do with each other," Knotz tells GlobalPost. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Why Women Have Sex