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Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
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When Sex Primes Love: Subliminal Sexual Priming Motivates Relationship Goal Pursuit

Omri Gillath

University of Kansas, ogillath{at}ku.edu

Mario Mikulincer

Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya

Gurit E. Birnbaum

Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya

Phillip R. Shaver

University of California, Davis

The studies reported here provide, for the first time, experimental evidence to support the claim that sexual interest and arousal are associated with motives to form and maintain a close relationship. In five studies, sex-related representations were cognitively primed, either subliminally or supraliminally, by exposing participants to erotic words or pictures as compared with neutral words or pictures. The effects of "sexual priming" on the tendencies to initiate and maintain a close relationship were assessed using various cognitive–behavioral and self-report measures. Supporting the hypotheses, subliminal but not supraliminal exposure to sexual primes increased (a) willingness to self-disclose, (b) accessibility of intimacy-related thoughts, (c) willingness to sacrifice for one's partner, and (d) preference for using positive conflict-resolution strategies. The article discusses implications of these findings for the role of sex in close relationships and offers a conceptualization of possible relational motives of the sexual behavioral system.

Key Words: sex • close relationships • subliminal • priming • motivation

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 34, No. 8, 1057-1069 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0146167208318141
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