We have already discussed how hormones and ethnicity affect our sexual behavior, but there are many other variables to consider. Our culture, our religion, and social, economic, psychological, and biological factors all contribute to the way we behave sexually. As we grow, we learn strong messages about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors from the culture at large, our social classes, and even our language.
Religiosity and strength of religious beliefs also influence sexual behavior. Generally, the more religious people are, the more conservative their sexual behavior tends to be. For example, studies on religion and sexuality have found that people with high levels of religiosity are more likely to hold conservative attitudes about sex, engage in less premarital sexual intercourse, are less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, are less approving of oral sex, and experience more guilt about sexual behavior (Bridges & Moore, 2002; Davidson et al., 2004; Janus & Janus, 1993).