Young adults who hold more positive views of certain sexual practices tend to report greater sexual pleasure, satisfaction, self-esteem and confidence, according to new research. The findings suggest that attitudes toward sexuality may be associated with broader sexual well-being, although they do not establish that greater openness directly produces better outcomes.
The study, titled Beyond risk: how attitudes towards oral sex, masturbation, and pornography correlate with positive sexuality in emerging adults, highlights the value of considering sexual well-being as more than simply the absence of harm. Published in Psychology & Sexuality, the research examined how attitudes toward specific sexual behaviors were associated with sexual pleasure, satisfaction, self-efficacy and self-esteem among university students in northern Colombia.
The findings contribute to discussions about sexuality education that extend beyond pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection prevention. The authors argue that concepts such as pleasure, autonomy, communication and mutual respect can also form part of a broader understanding of healthy sexual development.
From risk reduction to positive sexuality
Sexual health programs have traditionally placed considerable emphasis on preventing unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections and other adverse outcomes. Broader approaches increasingly recognize psychological, emotional and relational dimensions of sexuality alongside physical health and safety.
Comprehensive sexuality education can include knowledge and skills related to consent, communication, relationships and sexual health. Some research suggests that incorporating discussions of pleasure alongside risk reduction may support safer-sex practices, although effects depend on program design, population and context.
In parts of Latin America, sexuality education can also be shaped by religious, cultural and political norms. More restrictive approaches may emphasize abstinence or traditional sexual expectations, but the extent and consequences of these approaches vary substantially between countries, communities and individuals.
Study design in a conservative context
Psychologists Ana Chamorro Coneo of Universidad del Norte, Dayana Restrepo of Universidad de la Costa and Ailed Marenco of Corporación Universitaria Reformada examined what they describe as “positive sexuality” among young adults in northern Colombia.
The researchers assessed four dimensions: sexual pleasure, sexual satisfaction, sexual self-efficacy and sexual self-esteem. Sexual self-efficacy concerns confidence in navigating sexual situations and decisions, while sexual self-esteem reflects how positively individuals evaluate themselves in sexual contexts.
The team investigated whether attitudes toward masturbation, oral sex, anal sex and pornography were associated with these outcomes. They also examined demographic characteristics and general psychological well-being to determine how much additional variation sexual attitudes could statistically explain.
Who took part in the research
The study included 475 heterosexual university students in northern Colombia between the ages of 18 and 35. Participants completed anonymous online questionnaires covering demographic characteristics, relationships, religious affiliation, household income, sexual experiences and psychological well-being. Just over half reported being in a romantic relationship.
A similar proportion reported having experienced their first sexual intercourse before age 16. The researchers also measured general psychological well-being during the previous two weeks.
These measures allowed the team to examine whether sexual attitudes remained associated with aspects of positive sexuality after accounting statistically for several demographic and psychological factors. Because the research was observational and cross-sectional, however, these models cannot establish that attitudes themselves caused differences in sexual well-being.
Attitudes toward practices and pleasure
Participants rated their attitudes toward masturbation, pornography, oral sex and anal sex, while separate measures assessed sexual pleasure, satisfaction, self-efficacy and self-esteem.
Age, gender and psychological well-being were associated with some outcomes, but attitudes toward particular sexual practices contributed additional explanatory information.
More favorable attitudes toward masturbation, oral sex and anal sex were associated with higher scores on several dimensions of positive sexuality. These relationships should be understood as correlations rather than evidence that adopting more favorable attitudes toward a particular sexual practice will necessarily improve someone’s sexual well-being.
Nor do the findings imply that people need to engage in these behaviors to have healthy or satisfying sexual lives. The study measured attitudes toward practices, not a universal prescription for sexual behavior.
Masturbation showed the most consistent associations
Among the attitudes examined, views toward masturbation showed particularly consistent associations with the positive-sexuality measures. Participants with more accepting attitudes toward masturbation tended to report higher sexual pleasure, satisfaction, self-efficacy and self-esteem.
One possible interpretation is that comfort with masturbation may accompany greater familiarity with personal preferences, desires and boundaries. However, the study did not demonstrate that masturbation itself produced these psychological outcomes.
The relationship could also operate in the opposite direction. People who already feel more confident and comfortable with their sexuality may develop more accepting attitudes toward masturbation.
Previous research has similarly examined associations between masturbation-related stigma, sexual attitudes and sexual well-being. The current findings add evidence from a Colombian university sample but do not establish that normalizing masturbation alone will improve later sexual satisfaction.
The complex role of pornography
Attitudes toward pornography did not consistently predict the positive-sexuality outcomes examined in the study.
This does not demonstrate that pornography has either no effect or a beneficial or harmful effect on sexual well-being. A general attitude toward pornography is different from actual viewing frequency, content, motivations for use or whether pornography creates conflict within a relationship.
Research outside this study has produced varied findings, with associations differing according to factors including patterns of use, relationship context and individual attitudes. The Colombian results therefore provide information specifically about attitudes toward pornography rather than resolving the broader debate about pornography use and well-being.
Age, gender and the pleasure gap
Age was associated with several positive-sexuality outcomes, with older participants generally reporting more favorable experiences on some measures than younger participants.
Greater experience, communication skills or confidence could potentially contribute to this pattern, but the cross-sectional design cannot establish why age differences occurred. The study compared people of different ages rather than following the same individuals as they grew older.
Gender differences also emerged, including higher reported sexual pleasure among men than women. This finding is relevant to research on what is often called the heterosexual “pleasure gap.”
Previous research has documented gender disparities in orgasm and sexual pleasure in heterosexual contexts. Explanations have included differences in sexual scripts, practices, communication and attention to forms of stimulation that are more reliably pleasurable for women, although the present study was not designed to establish the mechanisms responsible for its gender difference.
Cultural norms and other findings
General psychological well-being was positively associated with sexual satisfaction, self-efficacy and self-esteem, but it was not clearly associated with sexual pleasure in this sample.
This does not necessarily mean that pleasure depends more strongly on partner behavior or immediate circumstances than on psychological health. Those are possible explanations, but they were not directly tested in the study.
Religious affiliation and socioeconomic status were not significant predictors of the positive-sexuality measures examined. The absence of an association in this sample should not be interpreted as evidence that religion or socioeconomic circumstances never influence sexuality.
Similarly, the suggestion that young adults may separate religious identity from personal sexual values remains a possible interpretation rather than a conclusion demonstrated by the data.
Limitations and future directions
The cross-sectional design is one of the study’s most important limitations. It cannot determine whether more accepting sexual attitudes contribute to greater sexual well-being, whether positive sexual experiences encourage more accepting attitudes, or whether other factors influence both.
The sample was also limited to heterosexual university students with internet access, and nearly three-quarters of participants were women. The findings therefore cannot automatically be generalized to LGBTQ+ populations, older adults, people who are not university students or populations in substantially different cultural and socioeconomic settings.
Longitudinal research could examine whether attitudes and sexual well-being change together over time. More diverse samples would also help determine whether the observed associations extend across sexual orientations, age groups, educational backgrounds and cultural settings.
Implications for sex education
The findings support continued investigation of sexuality education that considers positive dimensions of sexuality alongside established priorities such as consent, contraception and prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Discussing communication, autonomy, pleasure, boundaries and sexual self-knowledge may provide a more comprehensive framework for sexual health than risk prevention alone. However, this particular study did not test a sexuality education program and therefore cannot demonstrate that pleasure-inclusive education produces better health outcomes.
Its results instead show that, among the Colombian university students studied, attitudes toward several sexual practices were associated with dimensions of positive sexuality.
For educators and policymakers, that distinction matters. The research provides evidence that sexual well-being encompasses more than avoidance of negative outcomes, while further intervention studies are needed to determine which educational approaches most effectively support healthy, consensual and satisfying sexual development.
