Definition
Decrease or complete cessation of sexual behavior after repeated mating with the same partner followed by its restoration when a novel partner is available.
Sexual Behavior and Partner Novelty
Males of many species show a pattern of repeated copulation with the same female followed by a decreasing in the rate of copulations or ejaculations, i.e., an overall reduction of sexual behavior (Dewsbury, 1981). If a novel female is introduced at this moment, males may display restored sexual activity with greater frequency than if the only available female was the initial one. The restoration of sexual behavior frequency in face of a novel partner is called the Coolidge effect.
The term was proposed in the seminal paper by Wilson et al. (1963) attributed to a joke involving a former President of the United States:
One day President and Mrs. Coolidge were visiting a government farm. Soon after their arrival they were...
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References
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Vasconcelos, Í.G. (2023). Coolidge Effect. In: Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sexual Psychology and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_160-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_160-1
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