A Scoping Review of the Influence of Mindfulness on Men's Sexual Activity

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 20;20(4):3739. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20043739.

Abstract

Mindfulness practice and mindfulness-based interventions are widely known, especially for women's sexuality. However, it is currently unknown how this practice affects the experience of male sexuality, possibly due to the existence of pharmacological treatments that are usually the first choice of treatment for men. The objectives of this study are to explore the influence of mindfulness on different components of men's sexuality from a scoping review of relevant scientific articles existing in the literature. A literature search from 2010 to 2022 was carried out in the electronic databases MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Dialnet, SciELO Citation Index, and Redalyc. Out of the 238 studies, 12 that met the defined selection criteria were selected. The analysis of these studies seems to indicate that the practice of mindfulness favours different variables of male sexuality, such as satisfaction and sexual functioning or genital self-image. Mindfulness-based interventions represent a valuable and promising contribution. No adverse effects were detected from the review of scientific articles considered in this work. Nevertheless, more randomized studies with active control groups are necessary to establish the benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in sex therapy for men.

Keywords: erectile dysfunction; male sexuality; mindfulness; sexual desire; sexual dysfunctions; sexual satisfaction.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mindfulness* / methods
  • Personal Satisfaction
  • Sexual Behavior
  • Sexuality

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.