Quickie: The Real Relationship Between Loneliness and Online Sexual Activity
It’s not what you may think
Loneliness can be horrible and often when we’re experiencing it, we will go to great lengths to alleviate those feelings. Some people try to get out more often and make sure they’re around friends and family as much as possible. Others may keep their search for company closer to home by looking for companionship, especially of the sexual variety, in online spaces.
But how much do lonely people really turn to sextech to fill the void they feel?
Not as much as you may think, according to a study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. During the study, researchers Dr. Amanda Gesselman and Dr. Alexandra Marcotte surveyed 8,000 people to find out the relationship between mental health and the use of sextech. Instead of finding what most people might expect — which is that the lonelier people are, the more likely they are to engage in behaviors like sexting and watching camming sites — researchers actually found the opposite. In fact, the more lonely people felt, the less likely they were to turn to sextech for their social engagement.
“A common misconception is that people turn to the Internet for romantic or sexual connection because they are incapable of forming…
