Individuals Who Own Sex Dolls: Had more sexual fantasies related to coercion (biastophilia), but lower offense proclivity; were also more likely to see women as unknowable; have more stable negative mood

Harper, Craig A., Rebecca Lievesley, and Katie Wanless. 2021. “Exploring the Psychological Characteristics of Individuals Who Own Sex Dolls.” PsyArXiv. June 22. doi:10.31234/osf.io/fxznv

Abstract: The ownership of sex dolls has become an increasingly controversial social issue over the last five-to-ten years, with many in society (and academia) calling for the criminalization of such dolls. At the root of these calls is the implicit (and often explicit) assumption that sex doll ownership contributes to increases in social objectification of women, and sexual offense risk among doll owners. However, there are yet to be any empirical examinations of these claims. In this work we compare the psychological characteristics of sex doll owners (n = 158) and non-owner controls (n = 135). Contrary to widely held social attitudes, we found no substantive differences in sexual objectification between the two groups. Doll owners typically had more sexual fantasies related to coercion (biastophilia), but lower offense proclivity, than controls. Owners were also more likely to see women as unknowable, have less secure attachment styles, and more stable negative mood. We begin to build a psychological profile of sex doll ownership, before highlighting the need for more evidence-informed social debates about the use of sex dolls in modern society.