The researchers define "ongoing sexual communication" as any form of sexual expression between romantic partners that occurs regularly enough to demonstrate consistency but infrequently enough to suggest that it is more than occasional behavior. This includes verbal interactions such as phone calls or text messages, visual interactions like sexting or video chatting, physical gestures including hugging or kissing, and sexual activities such as intercourse or cuddling. The study's goal was to determine if greater levels of sexual communication could predict resilience in trust rebuilding after betrayal.
Trust can be defined as an individual's willingness to believe that someone else will act honestly and benevolently towards them despite opportunities to behave dishonestly or maliciously. When a person experiences betrayal, they may lose faith in their partner and have difficulty rebuilding trust. Ongoing sexual communication has been suggested to play a role in this process, as it can demonstrate commitment, intimacy, respect, and care.
Researchers hypothesized that individuals who engage in regular sexual communication following betrayal would show higher levels of resilience than those who do not. To test this hypothesis, they recruited participants through online advertisements and administered questionnaires about their past relationships. Participants were asked questions about the frequency of sexual communication with their former partners both before and after betrayal, as well as how quickly they forgave their partners for the offense.
The results showed that ongoing sexual communication did indeed predict resilience in trust rebuilding. Individuals who communicated regularly during the betrayal period reported higher levels of trust-rebuilding success than those who did not. This effect held true even when other factors such as length of relationship or severity of betrayal were taken into account.
Individuals who engaged in sexual communication during the healing phase showed greater improvement over time compared to those who did not.
Ongoing sexual communication may help couples recover from betrayal by demonstrating commitment, intimacy, respect, and care. It is an important factor to consider in the trust-rebuilding process.
More research is needed to understand exactly why this is the case.
To what extent does ongoing sexual communication predict resilience in trust rebuilding?
In an online survey conducted with 100 individuals who have experienced betrayal in a romantic relationship, researchers found that couples who communicated about their sex lives consistently after a breach of trust were more likely to rebuild their trust than those who did not (X). This finding suggests that consistent sexual communication can play a role in helping individuals build resilience after betrayal by fostering feelings of connection and intimacy between partners (Y).