Learn more about our research
For nearly 70 years, Kinsey Institute researchers and affiliates have explored the what, how, and why of sexuality, gender, relationships, and reproduction to learn how we live our sexual lives—with others and ourselves.
Looking for more?
You can read about current trends and topics of sex research in the Kinsey Institute Research Blog, or find a study or article in our list of publications.
Human sexual behavior
How do people behave in their sexual lives? In the 1940s and '50s, Alfred Kinsey and his team of researchers documented what American men and women did in their sexual lives and determined that sexual behavior comprises more than physical contact. It also includes desire, arousal, attraction, and fantasy. Recent research explores why people do what they do and the variation of their experiences.
Notable publications by Kinsey Institute researchers include:
- The Dual Control Model: Scales I: Measuring sexual inhibition and excitation proneness in men
- The Dual Control Model: Scales II: Predicting psychophysiological response patterns
- Misclassification bias: diversity in conceptualisations about having 'had sex'
- Predicting Sexual Problems in Women: The Relevance of Sexual Excitation and Inhibition
- Sexual Hookup Culture: A Review
- Turning On and Turning Off: A Focus Group Study of the Factors That Affect Women's Sexual Arousal
Complexity in relationships
Relationships—whether romantic, platonic, or intimate—present complex questions. What factors and motivations drive infidelity? How do younger generations navigate "hookup culture"? How do hormones like oxytocin affect love and bonding? How do people experience various relationship contexts—whether single, partnered, monogamous, or sexually open? As various aspects of humanity and society evolve, so does the focus of our examination.
Notable publications by Kinsey Institute researchers include:
- Has Virginity Lost Its Virtue? Relationship Stigma Associated With Being a Sexually Inexperienced Adult
- Dating and sexual behavior among single parents of young children in the United States
- Is the romantic-sexual kiss a near human universal?
- Sexual satisfaction and relationship happiness in midlife and older couples in five countries
- Oxytocin Pathways and the Evolution of Human Behavior
- Infidelity in heterosexual couples: demographic, interpersonal, and personality-related predictors of extradyadic sex
- The biochemistry of love: an oxytocin hypothesis
Sexual assault + aggression
Sexual assault and aggression impact more than individuals around the world. The lasting effects also reverberate through our communities and societies at-large. Kinsey Institute researchers are developing multi-level approaches to address these issues. That means taking steps to not only document the epidemic of sexual assaults but also to understand the factors behind it.
Notable publications by Kinsey researchers include:
- Conceptualizing the 'wantedness' of women's consensual and nonconsensual sexual experiences: Implications for how women label their experiences with rape
- Physiological reactivity in a community sample of sexually aggressive young men: A test of competing hypotheses
- Sexual violence prevention in Indiana: Toward safer, healthier communities
Sexual orientation + gender diversity
In 1948, Alfred Kinsey developed the Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale ("the Kinsey Scale") to highlight the spectrum of sexual orientation and desire. Today, we incorporate our knowledge of variations in sexual orientation and gender identity into research on behavior and sexual wellness with particular foci on biology, psychology, history, and culture.
Notable publications by Kinsey Institute researchers include:
Reproduction + fertility
The body’s physiological and hormonal systems are delicately balanced instruments that respond to environmental and social context. Naturally occurring hormones such as oxytocin, vasopressin, testosterone, and estrogen affect and are affected by health, sexual activity, fertility, and environmental factors. They can even influence attraction, mood, and sexual interest. Kinsey researchers conduct ongoing studies of these issues to better understand the system that keeps humanity going.
Notable publications by Kinsey Institute researchers include:
- Oxytocin Pathways and the Evolution of Human Behavior
- Evolutionary models of women’s reproductive functioning
- Oxytocin increases VTA activation to infant and sex stimuli in nulliparous and postpartum women
- Consequences of Early Experiences and Exposure to Oxytocin and Vasopressin Are Sexually Dimorphic
- Presence of young children in the home may moderate development of hot flashes during menopausal transition
- The association between duration of breastfeeding and adult intelligence
Sexual well-being
The deep importance of sexuality to overall well-being and health is often overlooked. Kinsey Institute researchers examine the dynamic relationships between: sexual behavior; psychosocial factors such as attitude and emotional well-being; human biology factors like environment, fertility and immunity; and significant health issues such as condom use and contraception. A theoretical and empirical focus of this work includes the impact of medical intervention on people’s sexual lives. This broad scope aids in uncovering the effects these factors have on our health and quality of life.
Notable publications by Kinsey Institute researchers include:
- A psychoeducational intervention for sexual dysfunction in women with gynecologic cancer
- Correlates of condom associated erection problems (CAEP) in young, heterosexual men: Condom self-efficacy, perceptions, and motivations
- Links among inflammation, sexual activity and ovulation: Evolutionary trade-offs and clinical implications
- Sexual risk taking in gay men: The relevance of sexual arousability, mood, and sensation seeking
Trauma and Resilience
Sexual violence, along with other traumatic stressors, disrupts mental and physical health and compromises a survivor’s capacity to establish and maintain intimate relationships. These disruptive, life-changing events occur in different contexts independent of sexual orientation, race, and age. The effects of traumatic stressors place a tremendous burden on the survivor, the survivor’s social network, the health-care system, the workforce, and society.
Kinsey Institute Traumatic Stress Research Consortium
The Traumatic Stress Research Consortium (KI-TSRC) is a research initiative of the Kinsey Institute and Indiana University. The consortium's mission is to further our understanding of human sexuality by studying the impact of traumatic stress on social behavior, sexual function, and intimacy. The KI-TSRC is inviting more than 1,000 trauma therapists worldwide to participate in this research initiative.
If you are interested in joining the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium as a participating clinician and becoming a part of this important research project, please email trauma@indiana.edu.
Once you contact the consortium team via email, our Consortium Coordinator, Deb Dana, will contact you and provide additional information.
All Kinsey Institute publications
Looking for references? The research publications page offers a comprehensive list dating back to the era of Dr. Alfred Kinsey.
See research publicationsSupport Kinsey
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