For humans, sex isn’t just about gratifying some carnal, animalistic urge. Rather, the physical act of sex can serve a lot of different psychological purposes. This helps to explain why when people are asked to report on their motivations for having sex, hundreds of distinct reasons emerge! These reasons include everything from wanting to experience pleasure to desiring an emotional connection with a partner to seeking a closer relationship with God.

In the TEDx video below, my friend and colleague Dr. Guirt Birnbaum explores the different meanings that sex can have, as well as why sex has so much psychological importance to us. As she explains, all of this meaning that we attach to sex may be a way we have evolved to cope with the ultimate fear of death. Check out the full video to learn more.