A new book exploring the psychology of sex reveals some women have sex simply because they’re bored.
The book, “Why Women Have Sex,” by UT psychology professors Cindy Meston and David Buss will be published Tuesday. It surveyed a group of 1,000 women about why they are motivated to have sex, be it with their husbands or a one-night stand.
According to the survey, many of the women who were in committed relationships admitted that they occasionally have sex to maintain a peaceful home environment and avoid fights with their husband.
“A lot of women have sex for pure pleasure but from an evolutionary standpoint,” Buss said. “It’s a very valuable reproductive resource for males and it tends to be in great demand, so women can use it for a variety of reasons.”
The survey found that women welcomed the opportunity to talk about their sexual experiences, both enjoyable and traumatic. Buss said some women slept with men to inflict damage in some way.
“I was surprised at the number of times revenge came up,” Buss said. “There were a number of cases where somebody slept with the girl’s boyfriend or someone’s partner cheated on them, so sex was used for revenge.”
Buss said that fortunately these cases were infrequent but helped the survey capture the diversity of reasons a woman can be motivated to have sex.
“Some are glorious and uplifting; to emotionally bond, to experience ecstasy, to get closer to God,” Buss said. “Some reflect the darker side of sex like revenge or being forced into it. It really has the whole spectrum.”
Buss and Meston have different areas of expertise within the psychology of sex that Buss said helped the book achieve a more complete analysis of the subject.
“It illuminated many more facets of female sex than would have been revealed by one perspective,” Buss said. “It’s a synthesis of different perspectives.”
Meston was unavailable for comment Wednesday due to a medical procedure.
According to the survey, women who continue seeing the man they have slept with also revealed various motivations other than love. Almost one in 10 women admitted to sleeping with a man for financial or material gains. Buss said the practice of exchanging sex for economic goods is common in most cultures.
Arabic junior Kirsten Gassman said she morally disagrees with the idea of having sex for financial gains.
“If you want to do it for a Louis Vuitton purse, then go ahead, but don’t expect them to pay your rent or buy you a car,” she said. “If it’s someone you’re interested in then sure, have sex with them for presents or dinner. But if not, what are you doing in their bed?”
Henry Clay, a Plan II and engineering senior, also said he disagrees with the concept of a woman having sex for material gains but believes that they have a right to use their body for whatever purpose they want.
“I feel like guys want sex for more superficial reasons,” Clay said. “They can’t really use sex in the same way. In fact, we use other things to get sex, like the presents or dinners.”
Book divulges women’s sex habits
Published: Thursday, September 24, 2009
Updated: Thursday, September 24, 2009
 "Photo: Peyton McGee/The Daily Texan")
Peyton McGee/The Daily Texan
UT psychology professors David Buss, pictured here, and Cindy Meston wrote the book ‘Why Women Have Sex,’ slated for publication on Tuesday.
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