Reassuring sex: Can sexual desire and intimacy reduce relationship-specific attachment insecurities?

What is it about?

In the present research, we examined whether a partner's displays of sexual desire and emotional intimacy reduce attachment insecurities in emerging relationships. This view is consistent with the belief that attachment representations are working "from cradle to grave" and may be subject to change within social interactions with close others in adulthood. Indeed, within the context of romantic relationships sex normally occurs prior to attachment formation, and may thus shape the later-developing relationship-specific attachment expectations. The results demonstrated gender differences in the contribution of a partners' displays of desire and intimacy to the development of attachment security towards this partner, and suggest that different sex-related processes underlie attachment formation in men and women.

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Why is it important?

The current investigation provides novel findings on changes over time in adults' attachment insecurities, and shed light on the importance of sexual experiences within this process.