Prof. Gurit E. Birnbaum
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My research focuses on the convoluted role played by sexuality in the broader context of close relationship. My research has involved the construction of assessment tools for studying individual differences in the sexual behavioral system, which have been used to shed light on the processes that mediate the impact of sexuality on close relationships; e.g., differential importance at different stages of development; the meaning couples attribute to their sex lives; the functional significance of sexuality within romantic relationship; and the link between sexuality and other aspects of the relationship. My current research program employs experimental, qualitative, and daily experience methodologies to investigate the complex interplay between the attachment and sexual behavioral systems within romantic relationships and the dual potential of the sexual system for both satisfying and dysfunctional relational interactions.
Primary Interests:
- Close Relationships
- Evolution and Genetics
- Internet and Virtual Psychology
- Interpersonal Processes
- Personality, Individual Differences
- Sexuality, Sexual Orientation
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When Sex Is More Than Just Sex: Why Humans Make Sex So Complicated
Journal Articles:
- Birnbaum, G. E. (2018). The fragile spell of desire: A functional perspective on changes in sexual desire across relationship development. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 22(2), 101–127.
- Birnbaum, G. E. (2007). Attachment orientations, sexual functioning, and relationship satisfaction in a community sample of women. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 24, 21-35.
- Birnbaum, G. E. (2007). Beyond the borders of reality: Attachment orientations and sexual fantasies. Personal Relationships, 14, 321-342.
- Birnbaum, G. E., & Gillath, O. (2006). Measuring subgoals of the sexual behavioral system: What is sex good for? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 23, 675-701.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Hirschberger, G., & Goldenberg, J. L. (2011). Desire in the face of death: Terror management, attachment, and sexual motivation. Personal Relationships, 18, 1-19.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Iluz, M., & Reis, H. T. (2020). Making the right first impression: Sexual priming encourages attitude change and self-presentation lies during encounters with potential partners. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 86, 103904.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Kanat-Maymon, Y., Mizrahi, M., Barniv, A., Shir, N., Govinden, J., & Reis, H. T. (2018). Are you into me? Uncertainty and sexual desire in online encounters and established relationships. Computers in Human Behavior, 85, 372-384.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Kanat-Maymon, Y., Mizrahi, M., Recanati, M., & Orr, R. (2019). What fantasies can do to your relationship: The effects of sexual fantasies on couple interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(3), 461-476.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Mikulincer, M., & Gillath, O. (2011). In and out of a daydream: Attachment orientations, daily relationship quality, and sexual fantasies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 37, 1398-1410.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Mizrahi, M., Hoffman, G., Reis, H. T., Finkel, E. J., & Sass, O. (2016). What robots can teach us about intimacy: The reassuring effects of robot responsiveness to human disclosure. Computers in Human Behavior, 63, 416-423.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Mizrahi, M., Kaplan, A., Kadosh, D., Kariv, D., Tabib, D., Ziv, D., Sadeh, L., & Burban, D. (2017). Sex unleashes your tongue: Sexual priming motivates self-disclosure to a new acquaintance and interest in future interactions. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43, 706-715.
- Birnbaum, G. E., & Reis, H. T. (2012). When does responsiveness pique sexual interest? Attachment and sexual desire in initial acquaintanceships. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 946-958.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Reis, H. T., Mikulincer, M., Gillath, O., & Orpaz, A. (2006). When sex is more than just sex: Attachment orientations, sexual experience, and relationship quality. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91, 929-943.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Reis, H. T., Mizrahi, M., Kanat-Maymon, Y., Sass, O., & Granovski-Milner, C. (2016). Intimately connected: The importance of partner responsiveness for experiencing sexual desire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 111(4), 530-546.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Svitelman, N., Bar-Shalom, A., & Porat, O. (2008). The thin line between reality and imagination: Attachment orientations and the effects of relationship threats on sexual fantasies. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 34, 1185-1199.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Weisberg, Y. J., & Simpson, J. A. (2011). Desire under attack: Attachment orientations and the effects of relationship threat on sexual motivations. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 28, 448–468.
- Birnbaum, G. E., Zholtack, K., & Ayal, S. (2022). Is infidelity contagious? Online exposure to norms of adultery and its effect on expressions of desire for current and alternative partners. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 51(8), 3919-3930.
Courses Taught:
- Introduction to Statistics
- Multivariate Statistics
- Sexuality in Close Relationships
Prof. Gurit E. Birnbaum
Baruch Ivcher School of Psychology
Reichman University (IDC Herzliya)
P.O. Box 167
46150 Herzliya
Israel
- Phone: 972-9-9602835
- Fax: 972-9-9602845
- Skype Name: birnbag