Apple’s Health App Now Tracks Sexual Activity, and That’s a Big Opportunity

By Lux Alptraum It’s no secret that Apple has a fraught relationship with sex. Since the debut of the iOS App Store, the company’s made every effort to keep its wares “family friendly” (read: porn free), often employing a very, very broad definition of what, exactly, constitutes porn. But as iOS has moved more and …

Screw Science: The Futuristic Sex Tech Aiming to Penetrate Your Bedroom

From fully customizable vibrators to bioelectronic headsets, smart sex toys are on the way up. But does personal pleasure necessarily make for better health? by Alex M.F. Quicho [P]leasure is personal, mostly because it has to be, and not least because female scientists continue to face grinding discrimination regardless of their area of research. And …

What BDSM might teach us about affirmative consent

By Brain & Behavior A new study by Northern Illinois University psychologists suggests that evidence for the effectiveness of the “Yes Means Yes” affirmative-consent movement, which has taken hold on many college campuses nationwide, might be found in an unlikely subculture—the BDSM community. While some critics of BDSM associate it with sexual aggression, and particularly …

Sex and Food: The World’s Strangest Aphrodisiacs Through Time

Hot chocolate? The potato? Piranhas? Throughout history, humankind has persisted in the belief that some foods are linked to sex. By Felisa Rogers [F]rom the Garden of Eden to the oyster cellar bordellos of old New York, food and sex are entwined. Although every food under the sun has been touted as an aphrodisiac at …

Cancer patients and survivors can have trouble with intimacy

[P]eople who survive cancer treatment — a growing group now topping 5 million — often have trouble with intimacy afterward, both from the actual treatment and physical recovery and from the psychological damage of feeling so vulnerable.(Photo: Getty Images/Comstock Images) In the mirror, Kelly Shanahan looks normal, even to herself. But she does not feel …

These 3 Sex Ed Videos Aim To Take The Awkward Out Of Sex Education

By Ed Cara   Few moments in life are weirder than when an adult finally decides it’s time to impart the birds-and-bees speech. Or less pointless it seems. Plenty of research has found that kids rarely get the answers to important questions they have about sex and puberty. And the sex ed they do get from their …

Should we teach teens about BDSM in sex ed?

By Leigh Cuen Could talking to students about BDSM culture help combat rape on college campuses? Psychology researcher Kathryn Klement thinks so. Klement is the co-author of a newly published study out of Northern Illinois University, which showed that BDSM practitioners are less likely to believe victim-blaming myths or sexist stereotypes than the general population. That’s why she believes …

How Finding Your Boyfriend’s ‘G-Spot’ Is The Secret To Unforgettable Sex

By Erica Suarez-Hillingdon There are various myths around the concept of prostate massage. Interestingly, as more men and women become aware of the benefits of massaging the prostate area, the taboos surrounding this highly sensual experience are breaking down. Despite what you may have heard, prostate massage is an extremely healthy activity that two people …

Why Sex Is Better At 57 Than 27

Jordan E. Rosenfeld Despite the fondness certain corners of the internet and cable television have for mocking sexually vital women of a certain age, new research suggests that those who embrace their sexuality may be laughing all the way to longer, healthier lives—though older men aren’t as lucky. A study out of Michigan State University (MSU) published this month in the Journal …

American Men Are Pretty Happy With Their Penises

By Jesse Singal For understandable reasons, society’s conversation about body satisfaction tends to focus on women. Women, it can safely be argued, face a lot more social pressure to look good all the time, to feel ashamed of their bodies, and to harp on minor imperfections. Men aren’t immune from all that, though. And one …

Sex education is not relevant to pupils’ lives, says report

International study finds schools’ teaching about sexuality out of touch, moralistic and unwilling to accept some students are already in relationships By Denis Campbell Sex education in schools worldwide is so “out of touch” with pupils’ experiences that they find it irrelevant and switch off, research of young people in 10 countries including the UK …