Emotional Intelligence and Its Association with Orgasmic Frequency in Women Andrea V. Burri, MSc, Lynn M. Cherkas, PhD, and Tim D. Spector, MD King’s College London St. Thomas’ Hospital, Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Department, London, UK DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01297.x ABSTRACT Introduction. Up to 30% of women suffer from female orgasmic disorder (FOD)—the second most common type of female sexual dysfunction. FOD has been acknowledged to be multifactorial and recent research has implicated the importance of psychosocial risk factors. Aim. The aim of this study is to investigate whether normal variations in emotional intelligence—the ability to identify and manage emotions of one’s self and others—are associated with orgasmic frequency during intercourse and masturbation. To our knowledge, this is the first such study in a large unselected population. Methods. A total of 2035 women from the TwinsUK registry completed questionnaires relating to emotional intelligence and sexual behavior. Global emotional intelligence was measured using the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire—Short Form (TEIQue-SF). Orgasmic frequency was assessed using two self-constructed questions. Main Outcome Measures. Using Spearman’s rank correlation and quartile logistic regression, we investigated whether variations in emotional intelligence are associated with female orgasmic frequency during intercourse and masturbation. Results. Emotional intelligence was not associated with the potential confounders of age and years of education, nor did we find a significant association between emotional intelligence and potential risk factors for FOD such as age, body mass index, physical or sexual abuse, or menopause. We found emotional intelligence to be positively correlated with both frequency of orgasm during intercourse (r = 0.13, P < 0.001) and masturbation (r = 0.23, P < 0.001). Women in the lowest quartile of emotional intelligence had an approximate twofold increased risk of infrequent orgasm (Intercourse = odds ratio [OR] 2.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.4–3.9; Masturbation = [OR] 1.8, [CI] 1.3–2.5). Conclusion. Low emotional intelligence seems to be a significant risk factor for low orgasmic frequency. Consid- eration of this behavioral risk factor may need to be incorporated into research into FOD and possible treatment approaches. Burri AV, Cherkas LM, and Spector TD. Emotional intelligence and its association with orgasmic frequency in women. J Sex Med **;**:**–**. Key Words. Female Sexual Dysfunction; Emotional Intelligence; Female Orgasm Disorder; Aetiology; Orgasmic Frequency Introduction F emale sexual dysfunction (FSD) is an often underestimated but common problem in the general community with serious effects on women’s quality of life. The term FSD comprises disorders related to sexual desire, arousal, orgasm, and sexual pain. In 2000, a consensus conference was held, aiming at developing consistent guide- lines for clinical evaluation and treatment of FSD [1]. Further revisions were presented at the 2nd International Consultation on Sexual Medicine: Men and Women’s Sexual Dysfunction and are currently being tested for clinical validity [2,3]. According to this classification system, female orgasmic disorder (FOD), the second most fre- quently reported women’s sexual problem after low desire, is defined as: “Recurrent or persistent difficulty, delay in or absence of attaining orgasm after sufficient sexual stimulation and following normal sexual arousal, which causes personal distress.” 1 © 2009 International Society for Sexual Medicine J Sex Med **;**:**–**