Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Aug;51(6):2955-2967.
doi: 10.1007/s10508-022-02326-3. Epub 2022 Jul 18.

Increased Urination Urgency Exacerbates Sexual Risk-Taking Through Heightened Sexual Arousal

Juwon Lee  1 , Omri Gillath  2
Affiliations

Increased Urination Urgency Exacerbates Sexual Risk-Taking Through Heightened Sexual Arousal

Juwon Lee et al. Arch Sex Behav. 2022 Aug.

Erratum in

Abstract

Increased urination urgency has been shown to facilitate impulse control in cognitive domains, but its effects in other areas are unknown. We examined whether inhibitory spillover effects would replicate and extend to close relationships-specifically, influencing decision making related to sexual risk-taking. Across three studies, we either measured (Studies 1 and 3) or manipulated (Study 2) participants' bladder pressure and assessed sexual self-control using a questionnaire of sexual risk-taking intentions (Study 1) or a simulated semi-behavioral sexual risk-taking (Choose Your Own Sexual Adventure) task (Studies 2 and 3). Study 1 (N = 44 men, 59 women) showed greater urination urgency was associated with greater sexual risk-taking. Study 2 (N = 65 men, 91 women) showed that increasing urination urgency led to greater sexual risk-taking, but only among men. Study 3 (N = 86 men, 183 women) showed elevated urination urgency was associated with an increase in sexual arousal, which accounted for the greater sexual risk-taking.

Keywords: Bladder control; Impulse control; Self-control; Sexual arousal; Sexual risk-taking.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Abbey, A., Saenz, C., & Buck, P. O. (2005). The cumulative effects of acute alcohol consumption, individual differences and situational perceptions on sexual decision making. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66, 82–90. - PubMed - PMC - DOI
    1. Ariely, D., & Loewenstein, G. (2006). The heat of the moment: The effect of sexual arousal on sexual decision making. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 19, 87–98. - DOI
    1. Bancroft, J. (2005). The endocrinology of sexual arousal. Journal of Endocrinology, 186, 411–427. - PubMed - DOI
    1. Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Gender differences in erotic plasticity: The female sex drive as socially flexible and responsive. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 347–374. - PubMed - DOI
    1. Baumeister, R. F., Vohs, K. D., & Tice, D. M. (2007). The strength model of self-control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 351–355. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources