As for your question about the 25-40 non-committed people and what they might say, I don’t know that it’d be much different. I suspect, however, how those individuals might define those qualities (in terms of depth and breadth) might differ from how those in the study group defined them. For example, intimacy means something different to those of the older generations than it does to most young people today.

And I absolutely agree with you about the importance of communication as it relates to sexual connectivity with another person. Even in my engagements with teenagers I stress this over and over – communication with your partner(s) is the key ingredient necessary to make the rest of it work.

It’s a lot harder for young women to get to a point where this is easy for them. As you know, most women grow up without any really good explanations of how things work (from an A&P perspective, for sure, but even from the psychological perspective). Quite often they just don’t know how to verbalize what needs to be done to make the sexual experience better for them with when they’re with a partner (though it is a lot easier when you’re with another woman).

Anyway, I, too, am glad to see sexuality being approached from a much more holistic perspective. I’d give anything to have this kind of information integrated into a well-rounded sex education class for teens and young people such that it could be taught in public schools. Of course, we know that will not happen any time soon.