Rough sex is triggered by curiosity & need for novelty; both men and women often initiate rough sexual behaviors; does not correlate with violence in the relationship or abuse, but happens more when male sexual jealousy is involved

The Rough Stuff: Understanding Aggressive Consensual Sex. Rebecca L. Burch, Catherine Salmon. Evolutionary Psychological Science, Apr 15 2019. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40806-019-00196-y

Abstract: Research on sexual behavior often characterizes rough sex as sexual aggression and as violent or abusive in nature. In a sample of 734 male and female undergraduates, we examined the extent of rough sexual acts in romantic relationships, the triggers for those acts, and how rough sex differs from “typical” sex. Participants were asked their definition of rough sex, questions regarding sexual aggression and behaviors during rough sex, and abusive behaviors in the relationship. Findings indicate that rough sex is triggered by curiosity and a need for novelty, and that both men and women often initiate rough sexual behaviors. Consensual rough sex typically results in little violence and only superficial injuries such as scratches, bruises, and welts. Rough sex does not correlate with violence in the relationship or abuse. However, rough sexual behaviors were increased in situations that involved male sexual jealousy. Being separated from a sexual partner was the second most common trigger for rough sex, particularly for men. Aspects of rough sex, such as increased semen displacement and decreased latency for female orgasm are discussed.

Keywords: Rough sex Sexual aggression Sexual jealousy Semen displacement


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Typical behaviours, from more frequent to less:

                                     men   women

Scratching	18.75	35.00
Fast thrusting	25.00	10.00
Hard thrusting	6.25	17.50
Cutting	12.50
Pushing and pulling	12.50
Spanking		12.50
Loud noises	6.25	2.50
Hot wax	6.25
Name calling	6.25
Urinating	6.25
Aggressive behavior		5.00
Biting		5.00
Blindfolding		2.50
Handcuffs		2.50
Hickeys		2.50
Whips		2.50

Discussion

Definition of Rough Sex
Although the literature on rough sex in many cases places it in the category of sexual aggression or abuse(seeBuzash1989; Hanna 2000;Pa 2001; and Weinberg 2016, for reviews and arguments), our data indicate that rough sex is a behavior thatmen and women both willfully initiate as a means of recreation. When asked to define rough sex, most men and women report only slightly aggressive behaviors such as slapping, pulling hair, biting, and being pinned down. One of the more interesting findings is that even though participants were notexplicitly asked whether thrusting was a part of the definition of rough sex, participants submitted hard and fast thrusting asdefinitive behaviors (see further discussion).

Triggers for Rough Sex
While men and women agreed on some of the triggers for rough sex (wrestling, trying something new, teasing, playingout a fantasy), there was a clear sex difference in reporting triggers that involved sexual jealousy. Men reported triggersthat were clearly related to sperm competition significantly more than women did: being jealous, being separated from(and unable to monitor) their partner, thinking their partnercheated, and group sex. The majority of other triggers werefocused on curiosity and trying new things or physical play(wrestling). Renaud and Byers (1999) have reported that 96% of participants reacted positively to thoughts about sexual submission scenarios and 85% reacted positively to thoughts about dominance scenarios. They also reported that bondageor use of restraint was viewed positively by college students. These positive views of dominance/submission scenarios canlead to this curiosity, which can easily transition to mild dominance/submission fantasies which others have suggestedcan be arousing to men and women (Hazen1983).

Aggression During Rough Sex
The most common behaviors performed during rough sex,again, were less violent behaviors such as spanking, clawing, pushing, calling names, and tearing clothes. More violent behaviors, such as burning, threatening, or using weapons, were among the least common behaviors. Men do appear to engage in some rougher behaviors than women, but this may be based on their size and musculature (e.g., threw partner around). Likewise, women with their presumably longer nails reported scratching and clawing their partners more often. Additionally, the most aggressive/violent sexual behaviors occur either very rarely or not at all in this population. Likewise, unlike sexual aggression, rough sex results in little injury for men or women. This supports the argument put forth by Vogels and O’Sullivan that this aggression may be more instrumental than hostile, and better meets the criteria for "playful force" (Ryan and Mohr2005) than sexual aggression (Krahe et al.2015).