Have you complimented your partner’s looks recently? Maybe you had an unfortunate blunder when your partner asked, “Does this make me look fat?” Maybe you haven’t said anything directly, but your tone of voice or gestures were loud and clear?! (Translation: “Uhhhh, yeah, sure does.”)
Do these little everyday things that partners say about one another’s bodies actually have an impact? What really happens when your significant other says something negative (or positive) about your body? Could these messages have an impact on your sex life? These were the questions that lead us to ask 35 men and 57 women about the messages they have received from their romantic partners about their bodies and how they feel those messages have affected them. These men and women wrote about the most memorable messages about their bodies they had received from their partner.
Here’s what we found:
- The good news is that every single person reported receiving at least one positive message about their body… run-of-the-mill compliments, sexy compliments, comments that challenged negative beliefs about themselves.
- Men and women typically received messages non-verbally, through body language and tone of voice (who knew!?).
- Most felt these messages had a positive impact on their body image AND their sex life. They felt more sexually confident, empowered, and fulfilled. Although fewer men and women reported receiving negative messages (both verbally and non-verbally), these messages were linked to reduced body confidence AND less sexual satisfaction.
- Most striking? Both men and women reported fairly ordinary, sometimes seemingly neutral, messages having a big impact on their confidence and sex lives.
So be careful!
If you have a partner, why not make an effort to help them feel sexy? Dish out those compliments! Ask if you’ve hurt their feelings with a comment or action! You never know, it may even improve your sex life
Note: This article was originally written for and posted on Dr. Lucia O’Sullivan’s website (www.sexmeetsrelationships.com/blog/)
For full article:
Goldsmith, K. M., & Byers, E. S. (2016). Perceived impact of body feedback from romantic partners on young adults’ body image and sexual well-being.Body Image, 17, 161-170.
