Beyond the Facts:  Sexuality Myth Endorsement in University Students and the General Public 

Many people do not receive adequate sex education and sex often remains a taboo subject—even among adults. This leads many to look for information about sexuality in the anonymous world of the internet—a place where we can get answers to even our most embarrassing questions but that also contains a lot of misinformation. Consequently, some of the things people believe about sexuality are likely wrong. Such incorrect beliefs are often referred to as “sexuality myths.” Believing them can shape how people feel about themselves, how they communicate with partners, and how they take care of their sexual health. But so far, we know rather little about how these beliefs are formed. 

In our project, we surveyed more than 200 university students (Study 1) and nearly 500 members of the Austrian public (Study 2) to examine how common sexuality myths are and how they are connected to holding other irrational beliefs and having a safe, satisfying sex life. Our results show that some of these myths are widespread. For example, over 60 percent of students and more than 70 percent of the general public believed that a person is considered a virgin, medically speaking, until they have had penetrative sex, although doctors agree that virginity is a social construct and not a biological reality. People who endorsed more myths also tended to know fewer facts about sexuality, were more likely to believe myths in other areas such as creativity or neuroscience, and were more inclined toward conspiracy beliefs. 

Connections between believing in sexuality myths and sexual well-being were complex. We did not find a direct link to overall sexual satisfaction or risky behavior (e.g., having unprotected sex). However, people who endorsed fewer myths and showed better knowledge reported more confidence when communicating about sex with their partners. In the general public, lower myth endorsement was also linked to being more satisfied with one’s life and engaging in safer sex practices, such as using protection or getting tested for sexually transmitted infections. At the same time, many participants misjudged their own knowledge about sexuality: they underestimated how well they could tell myths from facts, yet overestimated how much they knew compared to others. 

Taken together, our findings show that sexuality myths are an issue that affects not only young people but adults of all ages. They are connected to how people talk about sex, how they protect themselves, and even how satisfied they are with their lives. Tackling these myths through better education, reliable information, and public awareness is therefore an important step toward supporting sexual health and overall well-being. Still, many questions about sexuality myths remain open and I'm excited about conducting more research in this area.

Funding:  I thank the County of Styria (Wirtschaft, Tourismus, Wissenschaft und Forschung) for acknowledgin the relevance of research on sexuality myths and funding this project.