Researchers are surprised by how many individuals consider sex dolls to be their ideal romantic partner

According to a new survey published in The Journal of Sex Research, a surprising number of people who own female "sex dolls" — life-size dolls with realistic human features — consider the object to be their ideal romantic partner.

“We have been concerned about the growing debate in the media and academia about the use of highly realistic'sex' dolls without much empirical data to address the main objections,” said study author Jeanne C. Desbuleux of the University of Duisburg-Essen.

"This morality-driven debate is causing some countries to prohibit dolls (with a childlike appearance). Because people tend to stigmatize inappropriate sexual behavior, we felt it important to give a voice to those affected."

217 doll users provided data for the new study, which included data from around 43 years old on average, and ages ranging from 18 to 77 years old. Most participants (91.7%) identified as male, while 2.3% identified as non-binary, and 2.09% identified as other.

The participants completed an extensive questionnaire that collected socio-demographic information along with data on their dolls' use, anthropomorphization, objectification of women, and hostile toward women. The questionnaire also included an open-ended question, asking: "How has your perception of women changed as a result of using dolls?"

About half of participants reported that their doll was "the ideal partner for me" or that they used it as a temporary substitute for a human partner. The other half reported that their dolls were "purely sex toys."

Participants in a relationship with a doll were more likely to agree with statements such as "I am in love with my doll," "I use dolls because I find the bodies of my potential human sexual partners less attractive." They also were more likely to be single or divorced.

“We were surprised by the number of individuals who appear to be realizing a relationship with the dolls,” Desbuleux said. Examples include a better mental health since owning the doll, a stronger attachment to the doll, and a diminished attraction to potential human partners.

Researchers found that anthropomorphization was weakly related to the objectification of women and hostility toward women. In other words, those who perceived their doll to have more human-like traits were slightly more likely to agree with statements such as "I feel that many times women flirt with men just to tease them or hurt them."

Most participants (approximately 70%) reported that using dolls had not altered their perception of women. “I respect women and consider dolls to be no different from a large flashlight or masturbator,” a male participant said. Around 6% reported a positive change, while only 2.3% reported a negative change.

Desbuleux noted that dolls are not only popular with men who engage in potentially harmful (sexual) behavior on them, although others fear that this will happen. It could be that increasing technologization increases sexual as well as emotional connections with objects like robots.

"Although our studies support a connection between unfavorable attitudes toward women and doll anthropomorphization, it remains unclear whether this can be causally linked — it is possible that dolls reflect a sexualized and objectifying society."

Desbuleux added that "longitudinal investigations are extremely necessary to confirm causality."

"We had support from the doll community for the development of the research question," said the researcher. "We are grateful for this opportunity to conduct participatory research."

Jeanne C. Desbuleux and Johannes Fuss conducted a mixed method study among doll users to examine "Is the Anthropomorphization of Sex Dolls Related to Objectification and Hostility Toward Women?"

This is a repost read the original sex dolls article here