Sexuality and Morality: How Sexual Experiences Affect Self-Humanity Perceptions

Abstract

The present research explored the relationship between sexual experiences and self-humanity perceptions. We investigated and found that the immoral perceptions of a sexual experience negatively predict self-humanity perceptions (Study 1), and that the recalling of a perceived moral sexual experience predicts higher self-humanity perceptions as compared to the recalling of an everyday social interaction (control group; Study 2b) and of a perceived immoral sexual experience (Studies 2a and 2b). Contrary to expectations, no meaningful difference emerged between the perceived immoral sexual experience and the control conditions (Study 2b). Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that recalling a perceived moral sexual experience positively predicts self-humanity perceptions through the effect of increased social connection. The discussion considered the implications of these findings for morality.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Notes

1 As recalled sexual experience might simultaneously influence the individuals’ perceptions of being moved by a certain degree of irrational and primitive instincts (making feeling them more or less animal-like), as well as by a certain degree of sentiment (making feeling them more or less machine-like), we expected both dimensions of humanness (human nature and human uniqueness) to be affected by the recalling of sexual acts.

2 It is important to note that most of the perceived moral sexual experience recalled were with (current or ex) romantic partners, whilst the perceived immoral sexual experience recalled were somewhat mixed, presenting not only (current or ex) romantic partners, but also occasional or sporadic sexual partners. Although there is a slight association between perceived morality-immorality of the sexual experience recalled and romantic-occasional sexual partner, we believe, however, that perceptions of morality-immorality of a sexual experience not necessarily is linked with the relationship status of the sexual partner involved in the experience: one can have a perceived moral sexual experience even with an occasional sexual partner, and vice-versa.

3 The relationships between age, gender, religiosity and social connection were all trivial (β = −.00; B = −.04; β = .05, respectively). Furthermore, age and religiosity were trivially related with partner objectification (β = .02; β = .14, respectively) and self-humanity perceptions (β = .00; β = .02, respectively). Last, the relationships between gender and partner objectification (β = −.34) and between gender and self-humanity perceptions (β = .21) were both nontrivial.