title: Predictors of men's sexual response to erotic film stimuli: the role of affect and self-reported thoughts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Both emotions and cognitions seem to play a role in determining sexual arousal. However, no studies to date have tested the effects of self-reported thoughts on subjective sexual arousal and genital response using psychophysiological methods.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of self-reported thoughts and affect during exposure to erotic material in predicting subjective and genital responses in sexually healthy men.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-seven men were presented with two explicit films, and genital responses, subjective sexual arousal, self-reported thoughts, and positive and negative affect were assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Men's genital responses, subjective sexual arousal, affective responses, and self-reported thoughts during exposure to sexual stimulus were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regression analyses revealed that genital responses were predicted by self-reported thoughts (explaining 20% of the variance) but not by affect during exposure to erotic films. On the other hand, subjective sexual arousal was significantly predicted by both positive and negative affect (explaining 18% of the variance) and self-reported thoughts (explaining 37% of the variance). Follow-up analyses using the single predictors showed that "sexual arousal thoughts" were the only significant predictor of subjective response (β = 0.64; P < 0.01) and that "distracting/disengaging thoughts" were the best predictor of genital response (β = -0.51; P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of this study suggest that both affect and sexual arousal thoughts play an important role in men's subjective sexual response, whereas genital response seems to be better predicted by distracting thoughts.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cátia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laja
authors.forename: Joana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Quinta Gomes
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vilarinho
authors.forename: Erick
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Janssen
authors.forename: Pedro J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Nobre
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D004882:Erotica; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology*; D010413:Penis / Q000502:physiology*; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D013850:Thinking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Affect; Men Sexual Response; Self-Reported Thoughts to Sexual Stimuli; Sexual Arousal