Personal Relationships, (2010). Printed in the United States of America. Copyright  2010 IARR; DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-6811.2010.01328.x Sexual media use and relational satisfaction in heterosexual couples ANA J. BRIDGES a AND PATRICIA J. MOROKOFF b a University of Arkansas and b University of Rhode Island Abstract This study assessed how sexual media use by one or both members of a romantic dyad relates to relationship and sexual satisfaction. A total of 217 heterosexual couples completed an Internet survey that assessed sexual media use, relationship and sexual satisfaction, and demographic variables. Results revealed that a higher frequency of men’s sexual media use related to negative satisfaction in men, while a higher frequency of women’s sexual media use related to positive satisfaction in male partners. Reasons for sexual media use differed by gender: Men reported primarily using sexual media for masturbation, while women reported primarily using sexual media as part of lovemaking with their partners. Shared sexual media use was associated with higher relational satisfaction compared to solitary sexual media use. The question of how sexual media 1 affect romantic relationships is an important one. This is especially the case as data suggest both that access to sexual media has dramati- cally increased in recent years and that sexual media have the potential to exert negative effects on sexual and relationship function- ing in couples. Television shows, maga- zines, and news articles have been written about how increased access to sexual media affects romantic relationships (Featherstone, 2005; Kirk & Boyer, 2002; Paul, 2004). Yet, scientific research in the area of sex- uality and personal relationships has lagged Ana J. Bridges, Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas; Patricia J. Morokoff, Department of Psychol- ogy, University of Rhode Island. This research was completed as part of the first author’s doctoral dissertation. The authors wish to thank Lisa Harlow, PhD, for her conceptual and methodological assistance. Portions of this research were presented at the 116th annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, Boston, MA, August 2008. Correspondence should be addressed to Ana J. Bridges, Department of Psychology, University of Arkansas, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, AR 72701, e-mail: abridges@uark.edu. 1. The terms sexual media and sexually explicit materials are used interchangeably throughout. behind. Generally, empirical investigations of sexual media have focused on (a) the link between sexual media and violence, particu- larly rape proclivity (e.g., Fisher & Grenier, 1994; Malamuth, Addison, & Koss, 2000) and (b) how sexual media affect the (usu- ally male) viewer’s attitudes (e.g., Cooper, Scherer, Boies, & Gordon, 1999; Malamuth & McIlwraith, 1988). More recently, stud- ies have turned to how sexual media use may affect interpersonal relationships (e.g., Bridges, Bergner, & Hesson-McInnis, 2003; Parker & Wampler, 2003). Sexual media use The production and sales of sexual media is a big business. Annual rentals of sexu- ally explicit videos increased from 75 million in 1986 to 665 million in 1996 (Stack, Wasserman, & Kern, 2004). A recent trade publication put annual rentals at 950 million in 2005 (Adult Video News, 2006). In addition, the increased availability of personal comput- ers and home Internet connections has con- tributed significantly to rising sexual media access (Buzzell, 2005; Cooper, Putnam, Plan- chon, & Boies, 1999). A recent survey of 1