Sex dolls have come a long way.

They began as cloth-stitched, rubber-formed, or simply inflated miniatures and have evolved into flexible silicone figures with recognizable hair and features that resemble humans. These dolls will only resemble people more in the future as robotics and artificial intelligence develop at a rapid pace; they could even become more widespread.

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Psychologists at Nottingham Trent University in the UK set out to learn more about the people who use sex dolls in light of their increasing popularity.

They said, “We present the first analysis of the personality, sexual interest, and risk-related characteristics of sex doll owners,” in a recent study that was submitted to the Journal of Sex Research.

Dr. Craig Harper and Drs. Rebecca Lievesley and Katie Wanless used advertisements on popular doll owners’ internet discussion sites to find 158 male owners of sex dolls for their study. They then recruited 135 male control volunteers and used a crowdsourcing platform to invite them to complete a survey assignment that looked at psychological factors that influence libido and sexual behavior. Then, both groups’ sexual interests, personalities, emotional states, relationship styles, and levels of sexual aggression were assessed using a set of anonymous questionnaires.

What responses did these questions elicit?

The study found that “sex doll owners were significantly more likely than non-owners to see women as sex objects, to report greater sexual entitlement, and to see women as unknowable.” They also seemed to have a lower sense of their own sexual value, although they showed no signs of emotional or connection issues, powerful sex fantasies, or an increased tendency toward sexual aggression.

The findings have political ramifications since some have demanded that lifelike sex dolls be prohibited, particularly those that imitate children, on the grounds that they promote pedophilia and intensify sexual assaults.

However, the researchers assert that their data indicate a possible link between the usage of sex dolls and a decreased risk of sexual assaults. Perhaps using dolls to address sexual and relationship problems is a harmless solution.

The researchers concluded, “Our data generally suggest that men who own sex dolls are not notably different from non-owner comparators in many important ways.”

The study’s results should be viewed cautiously because they are based only on self-reported data. The survey respondents may not have been telling the truth while answering some very sensitive questions on a controversial topic, despite the researchers’ best efforts to preserve their anonymity.

“The hypothesis that doll ownership is a functional reaction to a past of low-quality or failed relationships seems to be supported by this first psychological study of sex doll owners,” the researchers said. “This is likely due to different beliefs about the unpredictability of potential sex partners, less secure attachment styles, and lower than average levels of sexual self-esteem.”

Sex dolls have come a long way. They began as cloth-stitched, rubber-formed, or simply inflated miniatures and have evolved into flexible silicone figures with recognizable hair and features that resemble humans. These dolls will only resemble people more in the future as robotics and artificial intelligence develop at a rapid pace; they could even become more widespread.