Writing about Human Sexuality?
Looking for human sexuality research paper topics?
Good psychology, mental health, or social work research topics?
What areas are you interested in?
Gender-related discrimination?
Mental health issues associated with human sexuality?
To begin with, what is human sexuality?
What is Human Sexuality?
It important to understand what human sexuality entails before you begin looking for appropriate human sexuality research paper topics.
So, what is human sexuality?
In simple terms, human sexuality can be defined as:
The way in which human beings experience and express themselves as sexual beings.
Complexity of Human Sexuality
Despite the relatively simple definition, the concept of human sexuality is quite complicated.
This is evident in the nature of the different human sexuality research paper topics being explored in the modern society.
Usually, human sexuality is approached from two angles, i.e.
- Biological (essentialist approach)
- Social- cultural (constructivist approach)
The biological approach views human sexuality from the perspective of reproduction.
On the other hand, the social- cultural approach includes other components to human sexuality such as emotions, personal desires and needs, and identities and practices.
It concedes that these components could sometimes be even more important than sexuality to some individuals.
Areas to look for Human Sexuality Research Paper Topics
So, where can you find good human sexuality research paper topics?
The answer is different areas of society.
Note that most human sexuality research paper topics are controversial.
Why are they controversial?
The reason why is because of the complexity that surrounds the issue.
To understand this complexity, it important to learn the different types of sexuality that exit.
They include:
Heterosexual and homosexual
Issues around being heterosexual and or vs. being homosexual is a good area to start looking for human sexuality research paper topics.
So, what is heterosexual vs. homosexual?
In simple terms, to be heterosexual is the state of being attracted to the opposite sex- men who like women, girls who like boys.
Heterosexuals are often referred to as ‘straight’.
Differently, homosexuality occurs when people are attracted to the same sex- men attracted to men, girls who like girls.
They are commonly referred to as gay (men) and lesbian (women).
In a world where cultural wars dominate the political discourse, this area provides endless opportunities for human sexuality research paper topics.
Bisexual
This is another category of human sexuality.
It is another area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
What does it entail?
It refers to a situation where someone is attracted to both men and women.
The attraction to both men and women is not always evenly weighted, and some struggle to define where they fit in best.
It is even a more complicated presentation of sexuality- Some are attracted to both women and men and view themselves as either straight or gay.
Others may have sexual feelings towards both men and women but are sexually active with one gender.
Asexual
This category of sexuality provides for another area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
What does it entail?
An asexual person is an individual who does not experience, or experiences very limited sexual attraction.
Rather than a choice, like abstinence, asexuality is an orientation, like heterosexuality and homosexuality.
Some experience very few instances of sexual attraction- grey asexuality.
Others are only sexually attracted after developing a strong emotional bond with someone- demisexuality.
Sample Human Sexuality Research Paper Topics
You can look for human sexuality research paper topics in different areas.
Such areas include:
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment is a key area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
Such topics may include:
- Impacts of sexual harassment on academic performance of foreign students
- The psychological impacts of rape on adolescents
- The role of physical attractiveness and personality traits on sexual harassment
- Prevalence of sexual assault within campuses in the U.S.
- Implications of child sexual abuse on the development of future relationships
- Effectiveness of foster homes in addressing sexual abuse among children
- The role of media and objectification of women in enhancing sexual assault against women
- Psychosocial behavior as a predictor of sexually abusive traits
- Sexual harassment in correctional facilities
- The role of family in predicting sexual abuse vulnerability among children
Sex and Mental Health
Another area to look for human sexuality research paper topics is sex and mental health.
Examples of such topics may include:
- Prevalence of sexual performance anxiety among men below 35 years
- Impacts of mental health conditions on compulsive sexual behavior
- Using psychiatric illnesses to diagnose dysfunctional sexual life
- The use of sexual repression as a way of inflicting mental suffering
- The role of sexual abuse in the development of mental illnesses
- An exploration of pathological sexuality in the U.S. society
- The role of mental health practitioners in improving sexual health
- An examination of mental health state of homosexual African American men
- The impact of online sexual activity on the mental health of teenagers
- The impact of health seeking behavior among women with sexual anxiety on mental health
LGBTQ Rights
LGBTQAI+ is another area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
Such topics may include:
- Evolution of transgender in the U.S.
- Challenges non-binary people face when navigating a binary world
- Impact of transgender people on the current medical establishment
- Experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals in countries where gender non-binary is illegal
- Implications of new laws, for example, in Florida’s “say no gay laws” on the lives of LGBTQIA+ people
- The impacts of gender affirming care on the families of the affected individual
- How transgender people are affecting social discourse in society
- Impacts of celebrities, politicians, and other public figures on views about LGBTQIA+ community
- Mental health issues among the LGBTQIA+ community
- Challenges faced by parents with an LGBTQIA+ teenager
Sex Education
This also an important area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
Such sex education topics may include:
- Involvement of family in sexual education
- Examination of an appropriate sex education curriculum for teenagers
- Impact of a community-based comprehensive sex education for adolescents
- Attitudes of Asian immigrants towards comprehensive sex education for their daughters
- Relationship between abstinence-only education and pregnancy rates among teenagers
- Impacts of cultural differences on sex education preferences in schools
- Effective ways to approach sex education in cities
- Public opinion on the role of school-based sex education
- The role of education in delaying sex and enhancing sexual health
- Sex education for vulnerable groups- people with disability, homosexuals, etc.
Gender and Women Studies
As well, you could look for human sexuality research paper topics in the area of gender and women studies.
Such topics may include:
- Race and gender disparities within healthcare in the U.S.
- An evaluation of unpaid domestic labor among Hispanic Americans
- Media portrayal of African American women in sports
- Evaluation of female superheroes and their impact on women’s image
- The role of African American women in politics in the U.S.
- The impact of the gig economy on the economic well-being of women
- The effect of celebrity culture on gender norms
- Division of labor along gender lines in the informal sector
- Impact of false advertising on teenage girls
- The role of gender in investment behavior and risk appetite
Pornography
Pornography is also an area to look for human sexuality research paper topics.
These might include:
- Impacts of technology on the prevalence of porn
- How exposure to porn may affect sexual behavior
- Impact of pornography on violence against women
- Regulating pornography on the internet
- The impact of pornography on women’s body image among teenagers
- Influence of pornography on teenage boys’ views about women
- The need to install porn filters in public libraries
- Relationship between pornography and the spread of STDs
- Impact of pornography on human sexuality
- Involvement of family in educating teenagers about the impact of pornography
Sex Work
You can as well look for human sexuality research paper topics in the area of sex work.
Such topics may include:
- Relationship between human trafficking and sex work
- Impact of decriminalization of sex work on the life and safety of sex workers
- Addressing stigma associated with sex for sale
- View of prostitution in medieval literature from a feminist standpoint
- Prostitution within modern war zones
- Relationship between media presentation of women and prostitution
- Global inequities that face the fight against sex slavery
- Dealing with third-party sex workers and pimps in the modern tech environment
- Impact of prostitution on affected children
- The role of power and wealth imbalances on propagation of prostitution
General Human Sexuality Research Topics
Lastly, you could just go general human sexuality research paper topics.
Including:
- Sexual inhibition and excitation proneness in men
- Diversity in conceptualisations about having ‘had sex’
- Sexual risk taking in gay men
- Predicting/ examining sexual problems in women
- Evolutionary models of women’s reproductive functioning
- How women label their experiences with rape
- Examining the sexual hook-up culture
- Factors that affect women’s sexual arousal
- Sexual violence prevention in poor neighborhoods
- Stigma associated with lack of sexual inexperience as an adult
- Dating and sexual behavior among single parents of young children
- Exploring the experiences of transgender service members in the military
- Sexual satisfaction and relationship happiness in midlife and older couples
- Infidelity in heterosexual couples
- Perceived emotional and sexual satisfaction across sexual relationship contexts
- The biochemistry of love
- Correlates of condom associated erection problems (CAEP) in young men