Menschen mit einer relativ neurotischen Persönlichkeit berichten, dass sie häufiger sexuelle Fantasien haben. Sexuelle Fantasien bieten ihnen nicht nur eine Möglichkeit, allgemeinen negativen Emotionen zu entfliehen, sondern ermöglichen ihnen auch, eine positivere und befriedigendere sexuelle Beziehung zu erleben, wenn auch im Bereich der Fantasie

People with a relatively neurotic personality report having more frequent sexual fantasies, while people who are relatively conscientious or agreeable report less frequent fantasizing. Emily Cannoot of Michigan State University, U.S., and colleagues present these findings from their new 5,225-person study in the open-access journal PLOS One on February 4, 2026.

Prior research suggests that sexual fantasies are common and might benefit people’s happiness and relationships. A deeper understanding of links between people’s personality characteristics, how often they have sexual fantasies, and what they tend to fantasize about could help inform efforts by clinicians and mental health professionals to improve sexual wellbeing. However, few studies have explored potential links between personality traits and sexual fantasies.

Cannoot and colleagues analyzed data from 5,225 adults in the U.S. who completed two standardized questionnaires. The first captured overall frequency of fantasizing as well as frequency of fantasizing about certain themes, which fell into four broad categories: exploratory (including the theme “participating in an orgy”), intimate (including “making love outdoors in a romantic setting”), impersonal (including “watching others have sex”), or sadomasochistic (including “being forced to do something”).

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0329745&utm_source=pr&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=plos006