On liking how you look and feeling sexy: Quantifying the overlap between sexual desirability and body satisfaction in a sample of Australian Grindr users

Abstract

The body image field aims to cultivate positive body image. To do so, it must appreciate factors contributing to positive body image. Sexual desirability is one such factor. Using experience sampling data from Australian Grindr users, we aimed to quantify the overlap between sexual desirability and body satisfaction. We found sexual desirability and body satisfaction correlated strongly between- (r = .90) and within-persons (rMedian =.60). Using dynamic structural equation modeling, we analyzed 238 participants' data (T = 9058), finding that sexual desirability and body satisfaction were bidirectionally related – previous sexual desirability predicted current body satisfaction (β = 0.22) and vice versa (β = 0.17). Participants’ average body satisfaction tended to be higher when sexual desirability contributed more to body satisfaction (r = .31) and was more stable across time (r = .19). We found sexual desirability and body satisfaction overlap considerably and that sexual desirability may contribute more to body satisfaction than vice versa. Our results suggest that (1) sexual desirability and its dynamics across time influence body satisfaction, and (2) research on sexual desirability and its relationship with body image should be a focus for the field. We discuss avenues for future research on sexual desirability.