Effects of Sexual Arousal on Commitment: The Moderating Role of the Arousing Source

Abstract

Being sexually aroused by one's partner is likely to increase one's commitment to the partner; whereas being aroused by an alternative mate might decrease it. These patterns are conceivably moderated by satisfaction from one's romantic relationship--higher satisfaction is likely to result with higher commitment when sexually aroused, whereas lower satisfaction is likely to result with lower commitment. I tested these predictions in two studies focusing on the sense of relationship commitment after sexual priming. In Study 1, thinking about having sex lead participants high on satisfaction to report higher commitment to their partner regardless of the source of arousal they were exposed to (partner/alternative). Conversely, participants low on satisfaction reported higher commitment after being sexually primed with their partner and lower commitment after being sexually primed with an alternative; however these trends were not significant. When thinking about playing badminton with someone, those high on satisfaction reported higher commitment regardless of relational context (partner/alternative), whereas those low on satisfaction reported higher commitment only when thinking about their partner. Study 2 focused on shame and guilt as underlying mechanisms to explain the Study 1 findings. Results supported my initial prediction about prime, context and satisfaction. However, feeling shame and guilt did not mediate the association between sexual arousal, target of arousal (partner/alternative), and commitment. Implications for sexual activation, commitment, and close relationships in general are discussed.