Researchers at California State University Fullerton and the University of Michigan conducted tests that produced interesting results. The data obtained showed that regular readers of women's magazines, accepting the scenarios of behavior that are promoted on the pages of these publications, become more liberated in sex.
The study was originally published in the journal Psychology of Women Quarterly. At the very beginning of their work, the authors pointed out the difference in the scenarios of behavior offered to readers of women's magazines "for adults" and publications aimed at adolescents. The latter more often warn girls about the possible negative consequences of relationships with the opposite sex, speaking of sexual attraction only in the context of mutual love. The magazines, aimed at a more sophisticated audience, specialize in the image of an independent, assertive woman seeking pleasure in sex for herself. The influence of publications intended for teenage readers was not considered in the study.
The results of a survey conducted among the survey participants who read articles from the Cosmopolitan magazine showed that this publication has a certain influence on the preferences of its readers. Ladies who regularly flip through this magazine tend to view premarital sex as fun rather than risky. In addition, this group of participants in the experiment demonstrated a desire to enjoy themselves, rather than please their partner. Women who rarely come across such articles consider premarital intimate relationships risky and are quite ready to be content with a subordinate role in sex.
As the authors of the study cautiously noted, regular readers of Cosmopolitan are quite willing to accept and try on the models of behavior that are demonstrated on the pages of this publication. The idea of the possibility and naturalness of intimate relationships for the sake of their own pleasure relieves them of a number of complexes.
