Reading Romance Fiction: Associations with Sexual Beliefs and Self-Esteem

Abstract

Romance novels generate billions in annual revenue and account for over a quarter of all the books sold in the United States in recent years (Doherty, 2023). Romance novels often contain explicit sexual content, which may shape sexual beliefs and attitudes. Given that women are the predominate readers of romance novels, we asked undergraduate women to complete two surveys. Both studies included measures of exposure to romance, beliefs in sexual growth (i.e., that sexual compatibility can be developed), sexual destiny (i.e., that sexual compatibility is pre-ordained), and components of sexual self-concept (i.e., sexual self-esteem, preoccupation, and depression). Reading romance novels for many years was associated with stronger sexual growth beliefs and current frequency predicted lower sexual self-esteem. The influence of sexual experience, perceived realism, and motivations are discussed. Overall, reading romance novels is associated with women’s sexual beliefs and self-concept, both of which are tied to sexual health, and satisfaction.