"Play with Me, Darling!" Testing the Associations between Adult Playfulness and Indicators of Sexuality. Issue 4 (4th May 2023)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Brauer, Kay; Friedemann, Stanley F.; Chick, Garry; Proyer, René T.
• Is Part Of: Journal of sex research. Volume 60:Issue 4(2023)
• Page Start: 522
• Page End: 534
• Publication Date: 2023-05-04
• Subjects: Sexology -- Research -- Periodicals; Sex -- Periodicals; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Sex; Psychiatry; 306.705
• DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2077289
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-4499

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that individual differences in adult playfulness are important in interpersonal relationships. However, there is a lack of research on the role of playfulness in human sexuality. Using three studies with four independently collected samples ( N total = 1, 124) we tested the differential relations between global playfulness and four facets of playfulness (O ther-directed, L ighthearted, I ntellectual, W himsical; OLIW) with broad ("Sexy Seven") and narrow (sociosexuality, sexual sensation seeking, and sexual compulsivity) sexuality-related personality traits and sadomasochistic sexual practices (BDSM). Our main findings were: (1) Each of the Sexy Seven traits was related to global playfulness or at least one playfulness facet while only Whimsical playfulness (liking odd and/or unusual things, persons, or activities) was related to each Sexy Seven trait; (2) Sexual sensation seeking related to playfulness with small effect sizes ( f 2 ≤ 0.11), Whimsical playfulness positively related to narrow traits of sexuality; and (3) those engaging in BDSM were more playful than non-practitioners. The findings support the notion that playfulness (particularly Whimsical playfulness) relates to sexuality-related personality traits and sadomasochistic practices may be one way of expressing adult playfulness.