The Kinsey Institute

Make Your Match with the Kinsey Institute The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University is where the world turns to understand sex and relationships. Now, you can help continue its expert-led research.

Make Your Match ⚡️ with an incredible 2:1 gift match on all donations made to the Kinsey Institute in October. Please consider a donation to this special crowdfunding campaign to support our research 🎁🙏

Every $1 donated = $3

Thanks to generous support from Match ❣️

knsy.in/giftmatch

New Clinical Study Shows Masturbation Can Relieve Menopause Symptoms

NEW study 📖 we linked self-pleasure to statistically significant improvements in some #menopause symptoms. See what we found: knsy.in/menopause2025

@lovehoneyofficial.bsky.social @cygraham.bsky.social @justinlehmiller.bsky.social

Only 1 week left to apply!

Frontiers | Polyvagal theory: a journey from physiological observation to neural innervation and clinical insight Polyvagal theory (PVT) offers an integrative model of autonomic regulation that accounts for the evolution, neuroanatomy, and functional organization of the ...

New publication deep diving into polyvagal theory 🧠
www.frontiersin.org/journals/beh...

New paper 📄

We’ll be sharing findings from our sexual assault and trauma research @istss.bsky.social next week. Will you be there?

Announcing the 13th Annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! - Sex and Psychology Join us for the 13th annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference, which will take place in Chicago on Thursday, February 26, 2026.

Join us in Chicago in February for the 13th annual SPSP Sexuality Pre-Conference! If you'd like to share your latest research with us, submissions for presentations are open through October 23. Hope to see you there! www.sexandpsychology.com/blog/2025/9/...

Long Stretch of Singlehood Ahead? Unpacking the Roles of Anticipated Singlehood Duration and Singlehood Stigma in Lowering Dating Standards Although dealbreakers are framed as non-negotiable traits that disqualify a partner, rejecting someone with these traits can be challenging when the alternative is prolonged singlehood. In this exper...

New paper 📢 when are dealbreakers no longer dealbreakers? This study found people were more willing to consider a partner with a highly aversive dealbreaker when faced with the prospect of prolonged singlehood.
 
www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pere.70026
@vwongsomboon.bsky.social

Know an amazing digital librarian or archivist? Share this job opportunity to help preserve & digitize access to the 🌎 most important collection on sexuality, relationships, & intimate culture 📚📰📑

📍On-site at IU Bloomington. Salary $70-95k + benefits.

🚨 Apply by Sept 30!

knsy.in/job101311

A brown glass bottle with a sultry women and text reading Elvira’s night brew”

Have you ever been a #bottlegirl? We’d love you to share your experiences with our researchers in this survey:

iu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

How to approach sex with realistic expectations | CNN Longtime couples lament about missing the early days of great sex. But Sex Life 2.0 can be just as good as, even better than, Version 1.0, a marriage therapist says.

Good-enough sex is often mischaracterized as settling or mediocre…

”But good-enough sex is sex that is pleasurable and satisfying without the expectation or demand that it’s going to be perfect every time” @justinlehmiller.bsky.social

www.cnn.com/2025/08/25/health/good-enough-sex-wellness

How Weight-Loss Drugs Impact Your Dating Life A new study led by the Kinsey Institute analyzed how GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are changing people’s dating lives.

“This new data is just the beginning of research needed to further understand how people’s lives change—for better or worse—while on GLP-1s.” @time.com

time.com/7311899/weig...

@justinlehmiller.bsky.social

Know an amazing digital librarian or archivist? Share this job opportunity to help preserve & digitize access to the 🌎 most important collection on sexuality, relationships, & intimate culture 📚📰📑

📍On-site at IU Bloomington. Salary $70-95k + benefits.

🚨 Apply by Sept 30!

knsy.in/job101311

Kinsey Institute Research Symposium: Sex and Aging Saturday, October 4, 2025 8:00am – 5:00pm In-person and Online Join leading researchers and clinical experts for insightful discussions...

Have you signed up to attend our sex & #aging symposium yet? Learn about new research areas such as strategies for improving #menopause care, addressing age-related stigma, & understanding physical changes.

⚠️ Register by Sept 22 (in person) or 30 (virtual) at knsy.in/aging2025

Sex: The menopause remedy no one's talking about New research reveals that regular intimacy and self-pleasure can significantly reduce common midlife symptoms.

"Women are very open to trying something if it's presented as effective. The problem is: very few physicians will raise this," says Graham.

ICYMI: 🔥 story on our work w/ Womanizer on #menopause @cygraham.bsky.social @justinlehmiller.bsky.social @yahoonews.com

health.yahoo.com/your-body/wo...

Infidelity among parents in committed relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected various aspects of personal life, including romantic relationships. While existing research has explored the pandemic’s impact on relationship quality and...

New research found parents’ odds were 48% higher for engaging in infidelity compared to non parents. See our study ⬇️

doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Episode 421: Digital Intimacy and the Rise of Erotic Camsites - Sex and Psychology A new study of camsite users finds that they are often looking for emotional connection and fulfillment. But are they actually finding it?

What are users of erotic camsites really looking for? New @kinseyinstitute.bsky.social research finds that they're not just looking for sexual titillation--they're often seeking emotional connection and fulfillment, too. www.sexandpsychology.com/blog/podcast...

Beyond The Bedroom: The Truth About Sexual Health, Intimacy, And Aging Sex and older adults remain taboo subjects in many societies. But growing evidence shows that sexual health is a critical component of well-being, even in later life.

“As people age, their need for connection remains strong…”

Fantastic article in @forbes.com highlighting our latest research around #menopause and our upcoming symposium on sex & #aging 📝

www.forbes.com/sites/sophie...

@cygraham.bsky.social @justinlehmiller.bsky.social

👏👏👏

AI companions: A threat to love, or an evolution of it? | TechCrunch As AI companions from companies like Replika, Character AI, and Nomi AI abound, love is no longer strictly human. In this debate, we ask the question of whether it should be, or whether dating an AI c...

Miss us at @opentodebate.bsky.social with @nayeema.bsky.social discussing #AI and #dating? Get a fantastic play-by-play analysis from @rebeccabellan.bsky.social at TechCrunch ⏬

techcrunch.com/2025/07/24/a...

Kinsey Institute 2025 Symposium: Sex and Aging Saturday, October 4, 2025 8:00am – 6:00pm In-person and Online Join leading researchers and experts for insightful presentations and d...

Reminder: You can still submit a poster to present at our Sex & Aging Symposium at IU Bloomington.

⏰ Aug 1 rolling deadline
🗓️ Oct 4 event

Quantitative, qualitative & mixed-methods studies from any discipline that explores sex & #aging welcome.

Details: knsy.in/aging2025

Hi River, it is a live training (no recording)

Happening tomorrow! Last call for signups.

Beyond Weight Loss: 59% of GLP-1 Users Say the Prescription Drug Changed Their Dating Lives

💉A new side-effect of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs: disrupting dating. Our survey with @datingadvice.bsky.social showed 59% of people reported changes to their dating life and 52% changes to their sex life.

@justinlehmiller.bsky.social

www.datingadvice.com/studies/glp-...

The New Science of Sexual Fantasies Join us for an online workshop about the latest research on sexual fantasy, facilitated by Dr. Justin Lehmiller, Senior Research Fellow at the Kins...

I’m teaching an online course with the @kinseyinstitute.bsky.social on July 19th on the science of sexual fantasies! Learn more and register here to reserve your spot: events.iu.edu/kinsey/event...

‘Shar pei sex’, swinging, and 10 orgasms in an afternoon: This is sex after 60 ‘Many older couples find greater satisfaction than when they were younger,’ says the National Institute on Aging

I was interviewed for this @theguardian.com article on sex after 60 @kinseyinstitute.bsky.social @jessicajhille.bsky.social
@justinlehmiller.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/wellness/202...

1 in 4 LGBTQ+ Singles Say the Political Climate Is Reshaping Their Dating Lives According to The State of Us: National Study on Modern Love & Dating in 2025 survey conducted by  Kinsey Institute and DatingNews.com, 1 in 4 LGBTQ+ singles say they are choosing to rethink how and wh...

In a new study we conducted at the @kinseyinstitute.bsky.social, we found that the current political climate is changing the way that LGBTQ+ people date, with many relocating to more LGBTQ-friendly areas. www.datingnews.com/industry-tre...

⏳ Less than one month away! Join us and our Senior Research Fellow @justinlehmiller.bsky.social Institute for this course ⤵️

A black and white photo of 9 decorative condoms displayed in glass cases

📣 We are hiring an archivist!

Join the Kinsey Institute’s world-renowned Library & Special Collections.
🌍 2,000+ years of global history
📖 7,630 archive requests in 2024
🖼️ 55 works on loan in 2024
🎬 Used by scholars, artists, authors, filmmakers, & more

go.iu.edu/8tKh

A woman presents a PowerPoint showing a picture of the Kinsey Institute’s library and reading room to a crowded audience

Our Library & Special Collections Director Liana Zhou sharing highlights from our archives at #WAS2025 this week. Are you here too?