Quickie: When Sexting Isn’t Just About Sex
Researchers find three reasons for sending nude photos

It seems like a no-brainer that sexting is related to sex, but this isn’t the whole story. In fact, according to research, two-thirds of people participate in sexting for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with sex.
“Sexting among adults is an evolution of how we have communicated our sexual desires to our partners in the past.” — Joseph M. Currin
Researchers Joseph M. Currin and Kassidy Cox focused on three reasons for sexting that had been identified in past studies: foreplay, relationship reassurance, and receiving a non-sexual favor from the recipient of the naked pictures later. To find out which reasons were most prevalent, Currin and Cox asked 160 people, from 18 to 69 years old, why they sent nude photos to others, and even the researchers report they were surprised by the results.
“It was intriguing that two-thirds of the individuals who engaged in sexting did so for non-sexual purposes,” said Cox. “This may actually be demonstrating some individuals engage in sexting, but would prefer not to, but do so as a means to either gain affirmation about their relationship, relieve anxiety, or get something tangible — non-sexual — in return.”
The pair also found that despite the age, gender, or sexual orientation of study participants, the reasons for sexting were pretty uniform across all demographics.
“As it is becoming a more accepted method of communicating one’s sexual desires, we wanted to highlight how adults utilize this behavior in their relationships,” explained Currin. “This tells us that sexting among adults is an evolution of how we have communicated our sexual desires to our partners in the past. People used to write love poems and steamy letters, then when photography became more common place, couples used to take boudoir photos for each other.”
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Source:
Research: Despite what you might think, sexting isn’t just about sex. EurekAlert. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/798600
