Justin Garcia: The ‘girlfriend experience’ reveals our deep desire for intimacy, emotional connections complicate casual sex, and the troubling power imbalances in sex work | Jordan Harbinger

People are spending big on simulated intimacy, revealing deep desires for connection beyond physical encounters.

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Add us on Google by Editorial Team May. 28, 2026

Key takeaways

• People are willing to spend significant money on experiences that simulate intimacy, even if it’s not genuine.
• The ‘girlfriend experience’ at brothels highlights the human desire for connection and intimacy.
• Intimacy is not just about sex; it’s about being seen, heard, and known.
• Emotional bonding during sexual activity is influenced by physiological responses like dopamine and oxytocin.
• Casual sex often involves emotional connections, challenging the perception of purely transactional encounters.
• Power imbalances in sex work reveal troubling socioeconomic disparities.
• There is academic disagreement about the role of estrogens in sexual response and fertility.
• The economic dynamics of the sex industry highlight the value placed on psychological safety and connection.
• People navigate both sexual and romantic desires, complicating perceptions of casual sex.
• Experiences involving sex are often about more than just the physical act.
• Emotional connections during casual sex, such as cuddling and eye gazing, are common.
• The interplay between sexual and romantic desires is a key aspect of human relationships.
• Hormonal interactions during sexual activity have significant implications for emotional bonding.
• The desire for intimacy drives people to seek companionship in various forms.
• The sex industry reflects broader societal dynamics of dating and intimacy.

Guest intro

Dr. Justin Garcia is the Executive Director and Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute, where he studies the evolution of human mating, sexual behavior, and relationships. He is also the author of We Live and Die for Love and has written extensively on hookup culture, monogamy, and the science of heartbreak.

The allure of the ‘girlfriend experience’

• The ‘girlfriend experience’ is the most expensive service at legal brothels, indicating a high demand for simulated intimacy.

• The most expensive thing you go through that lesson what people were willing to spend the most money on in a legal brothel was this date this girlfriend experience

  — Justin Garcia

• This service highlights what people truly seek in intimate interactions.
• People are willing to spend money on experiences that simulate connection and intimacy.

• That’s what people were so driven for that’s what they were willing to spend the most money on… it’s a simulation of being wanted basically

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  — Justin Garcia

• The economic behaviors in this context reveal the importance of emotional connection.
• The desire for the ‘girlfriend experience’ underscores a deeper understanding of human desires.
• This insight reflects a deep understanding of human behavior in modern dating.

The complexities of hormonal responses

• There is significant disagreement in academic literature regarding the role of estrogens in sexual response.

• There’s a lot of disagreement in the academic literature on it particularly the role of estrogens which might be more important for fertility and egg implantation and not a direct sexual response

  — Justin Garcia

• Understanding hormonal interactions is critical for discussions on sexual health.
• The role of estrogens might be more important for fertility than direct sexual response.
• This insight highlights the complexities of hormonal responses during sexual activity.
• The implications for fertility are significant in understanding sexual health.
• Hormonal interactions are a nuanced aspect of sexual health discussions.
• This insight provides a deeper understanding of the biological factors influencing sexual behavior.

Intimacy beyond physical acts

• Intimacy is about being seen, heard, and known, not just a euphemism for sex.

• When I use the word intimacy and throughout the book and a lot of our work I think of intimacy as not a euphemism for sex as sexologists we don’t like euphemisms but really thinking about being seen and heard and known

  — Justin Garcia

• This insight clarifies the deeper psychological aspects of intimacy.
• Emotional connection is a key component of intimate relationships.
• The distinction between physical intimacy and emotional connection is crucial.
• Intimacy involves psychological safety and connection.
• People are willing to spend significant amounts of money on feelings of psychological safety.

• It tells me since they price according to the market and people are paying that all the time that shows you how valuable these feelings are

  — Justin Garcia

The troubling power imbalance in sex work

• The power imbalance in sex work is significant and troubling.

• I felt really really bad for her… the power imbalance was something I couldn’t really deal with when it hits you in the face like that… this is really gross the fact that they’re don’t have enough money to eat and that they just wanna sleep in the ac is like horrifying to me.

  — Justin Garcia

• Socioeconomic factors play a significant role in the dynamics of sex work.
• This insight reflects a strong viewpoint on the ethical implications of sex work.
• The socioeconomic disparities involved in sex work are troubling.
• Understanding these dynamics is crucial for addressing ethical concerns.
• The power imbalance reveals broader societal issues.
• This insight highlights the need for addressing socioeconomic disparities in sex work.

Navigating sexual and romantic desires

• People often seek to navigate both their sexual and romantic desires.

• What I see in a lot of my work is that people are trying to find ways to navigate both their sexual desires and their romantic desires.

  — Justin Garcia

• This insight provides a nuanced understanding of human relationships.
• The interplay between sexual and romantic desires complicates perceptions of casual sex.
• People are often looking for ways to balance these desires.
• Understanding these motivations is key to understanding human behavior.
• The motivations behind casual sex are complex and multifaceted.
• This insight challenges the stereotype of casual sex being devoid of emotional connection.

Emotional connections in casual sex

• A significant portion of people who engage in casual sex report emotional connections.

• We would see high rates of people who said I had a one night stand but I stayed the night and I engaged in eye gazing and we cuddled all night and it’s like well that’s not the deal.

  — Justin Garcia

• Emotional connections during casual sex are more common than often perceived.
• This claim challenges the idea of purely transactional encounters.
• Casual sex often involves emotional connections like cuddling and eye gazing.
• The stereotype of casual sex being devoid of emotional connection is challenged.
• This insight provides valuable insight into human behavior.
• Emotional connections are a key aspect of many casual sexual encounters.

The physiological effects of sexual activity

• Sexual activity can significantly influence emotional bonding due to physiological responses.

• We know that we have dopamine activity we have oxytocin activity particularly if it’s orgasmic sex if it’s good sex you see a spike in orga in oxytocin these are bonding hormones it’s neuropeptide actually that’s associated with building a connection

  — Justin Garcia

• Dopamine and oxytocin play a significant role in emotional bonding.
• Understanding these physiological effects is crucial for understanding human relationships.
• The biological mechanisms linking sexual activity to emotional closeness are significant.
• These insights provide a deeper understanding of human relationships.
• Emotional bonding during sexual activity is influenced by physiological responses.
• This insight explains the biological basis for emotional closeness in relationships.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.