by Amélie Jervay | Jul 6, 2026 | Articles
Reading a sexual scene in a romance novel can trigger a cascade of physiological neural responses driven mainly by the autonomic nervous system and reward circuitry. Autonomic arousal: increased heart rate and blood pressure, faster and deeper breathing, sweating...
by Amélie Jervay | Jun 29, 2026 | Articles
Reading a sex scene in a romance novel can arouse a reader through interacting cognitive, emotional and physiological processes. Imagination and mental imagery play an important role. Descriptive language and sensory detail trigger vivid mental images, which activate...
by Amélie Jervay | Jun 23, 2026 | Articles
Reading romance novels can reveal many aspects of the human sexual response, psychological, social, and physiological, because they focus on desire, arousal, and intimacy. Desire often starts in the mind. Romance emphasizes cognitive triggers (fantasy, anticipation,...
by Amélie Jervay | Jun 15, 2026 | Articles
What are the booming sales of romance novels telling us about life? It’s tough? We need help? We need an escape hatch? According to Ella Risbridger, “romantic fiction is about the things that matter most.”1 Humans need and want connection, a sense of community. It is...
by Amélie Jervay | Jun 8, 2026 | Articles
Is a romance novel what your relationship needs? Reading romance novels can enrich your sex life, deepen your connection with your partner, and make you romantically more literate. Is it time to re-engage the passion in your relationship, by sparking the nostalgia of...
