Researchers at George Mason University's Department of Global and Community Health and Indiana University's Center for Sexual Health Promotion have conducted a first-of-its-kind study to draw some conclusions to an age-old question as to what does love have to do with sex, especially among gay and bisexual men.
While most research about love has been conducted among heterosexual-identified individuals or opposite sex couples, the focus of this study on same sex couples suggests experiences of love are far more similar than different, regardless of sexual orientation.
The study, "Special Section: Sexual Health in Gay and Bisexual Couples," finds nearly all (92.6 percent) men whose most recent sexual event occurred with a relationship partner, indicated being in love with the partner at the time they had sex.
This is the first time a study has described sexual behaviors engaged in by those men who report being in love, or not, during a given sexual event with a same-sex partner.
"Given the recent political shifts around the Defense of Marriage Act and same-sex marriage in the United States, these findings highlight the prevalence and value of loving feelings within same same-sex relationships," lead investigator Joshua G. Rosenberger, a professor at George Mason's College of Health and Human Services, said.
"This study is important because of myths and misunderstandings that separate men from love, even though the capacity to love and to want to be loved in return is a human capacity and is not limited by gender or sexual orientation," Debby Herbenick, a research scientist at Indiana University (IU) and one of the study co-authors, added.
The study collected data from an Internet-based survey of almost 25,000 gay and bisexual men residing in the United States who were members of online websites facilitating social or sexual interactions with other men.
The study is published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.