Anticipatory Social Judgments and Embodied Sexual Experiences
Sex is an inherently embodied experience that involves both physical and psychological elements. Before, during, and after sex, individuals often make predictions about what will happen based on their past experiences and societal norms. These expectations can influence how they perceive and remember their sexual encounters. This phenomenon is known as anticipatory social judgments.
Anticipation can involve anything from thinking about what type of partner someone would prefer to engage with, to predicting the outcome of a sexual encounter before it begins.
If someone has had negative experiences with casual hookups, they may have a negative attitude towards them, leading them to view future potential partners as untrustworthy. This can impact their sexual interactions and memories of those interactions.
The same goes for positive expectations; if someone believes that all relationships are destined for long-term commitment, they may be disappointed when one ends or does not progress in the way they expected. This can lead to negative feelings, such as heartbreak or regret, which can affect how they recall the relationship.
In addition to affecting emotional memory, anticipatory social judgments also shape the physical aspects of sexual experiences. If someone expects a sexual encounter to be pleasurable, this expectation can increase their arousal and improve the quality of the actual experience.
If someone has low self-esteem or anxiety, these expectations can negatively impact their body language, making them feel nervous or insecure.
Anticipatory Social Judgments and Emotional Memory
Emotional memory refers to the ability to remember how we felt during an event, rather than just what happened. Anticipatory social judgments can impact our memories of sexual encounters by influencing how we interpret them afterward.
If someone has high expectations for a sexual encounter, but it doesn't meet those expectations, they may feel disappointed and judge themselves harshly for being "bad" at sex. This can lead to negative emotions like shame or guilt, which can influence how they remember the encounter. Alternatively, if someone has low expectations for an encounter, they may perceive it more positively because it exceeds their initial predictions.
Individuals who have been traumatized in past sexual situations may develop fears and biases that color future interactions. They may view potential partners as dangerous or untrustworthy, leading them to avoid intimacy altogether. These attitudes can cause long-term psychological damage, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression.
Anticipatory social judgments are integral to how people understand and experience sexual encounters. By understanding this phenomenon, individuals can learn to manage their expectations and promote positive sexual experiences. With open communication and self-reflection, anyone can improve their embodied sexual experiences and emotional memory.
How do anticipatory social judgments influence embodied sexual experiences and emotional memory?
In an experimental study, participants were asked to view sexually explicit films while their brain activity was measured using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI results showed that anticipating a positive sexual experience led to heightened activation of areas associated with reward processing, whereas anticipating a negative sexual experience led to decreased activation of these same areas.