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Why are Sex Drives Different?

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What comes to mind when male and female sex drives are mentioned? The stereotype as stated by Roy F. Baumeister (2000) would be females have a lower sex drive then males. This statement tends to be accepted by most people in society as the standard, so why would looking into this question be important? Having a “standard” can be dangerous, because not everyone fits that standard. Thus, understanding the differences can show society what is normal, and how to change the standard that is accepted. Roy F. Baumeister at Case Western University, Alicia Barr at South Plains College, and many others sought to understand why do females have a lower sex drive. Understanding the importance of a sex drive is the first step in the process of …show more content…

Society and biology may hold the key answer, which researchers try to understand by looking at what is “normal”. Another important concept is understanding what is normal. The “normal” leads to expectations that males and females have for one another. By not meeting these expectations thoughts of being different can be provoked. Improving education and public knowledge will decrease the suffering by such individuals (Baumeister, et al., 2001). Barr, Bryan, and Kenrick (2002) researched what is the expected sexual peak of men and women. The researchers did three different studies on what participants thought the age of sexual peak was. The first study consisted of 60 members from the Psychology Department at Arizona State, the second consisted of 73 undergraduates at Arizona State, and the third consisted 53 members recruited from the 73 undergraduates. Each group was given a questionnaire asking at what age do you think male/female sexual peak is, and at when do you think males/females experience the highest sexual frequency (Barr, et al., 2002). The results did not deviate by group or age significantly. Men were believed to reach their sexual peak in their 20’s and women were believed to reach their sexual peak in their 30’s. These results show that social influences can play a role in how males and females interact sexually. For an example a woman in her 20’s would expect and man in his 20’s to initiate any sexual moves (Barr, et., 2002).

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