60-Second Mind

Bisexuality is a Distinct Sexual Orientation

Results from a 10-year study show that bisexuality in women is not a transitional phase enroute to lesbianism, but rather a distinct and long-term sexual orientation.

In 2005 a paper in Psychological Science debunked the idea that men have bisexual attraction (they’re either gay or straight the study concluded). Ok, still up for debate.
But what about women? Does bisexuality legitimately exist in women?
This week the American Psychological Association published the first longitudinal study of female bisexuality. Dr. Lisa Diamond studied 79 women over a 10-year period, in an attempt to define female bisexuality.
She found no evidence for the commonly held view that bisexuality is an experimental phase, enroute to lesbianism or heterosexuality.
Rather she found that bisexuality in women is a distinct and consistent sexual orientation.
Interestingly, she also found that as women age, they become more aware of their sexual fluidity, and thus tend to turn more toward bisexuality than away from it.
And check this out: even though bisexuals continue to be attracted to both sexes as they age, they are more likely than heterosexuals or lesbians, to settle into monogamous relationships.
Hm. The more fluid you are sexually, the more stable you become behaviorally.
What’s up with that?

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