What the studies say overall
The question that keeps coming up in these studies is whether couples who use sex toys are more satisfied. The answers are not uniform.
A large survey in six European countries found that owning and using toys was associated with greater sexual satisfaction and greater life satisfaction; relationship satisfaction was only associated with owning toys and using them with a partner, not with using them alone (Hald et al., 2025).
A study of young women in a heterosexual couple points in the same direction: those who also used toys in partnered sex reported more arousal, more satisfaction and orgasms perceived as more intense than those who only used them alone (Sansone et al., 2025).
Another study, with a national sample of people in heterosexual relationships, found no link between toy use and relationship outcomes when it analysed the role of pornography use (Dover et al., 2024).
In Colombia, women in stable relationships who used them scored slightly higher on sexual function, and in the United States many women said that stimulating the clitoris with a finger or a toy during penetration made them reach orgasm more often or enjoy penetration more (Espitia De La Hoz et al., 2025; Hensel et al., 2021).
Other studies broaden the picture. Among women who have sex with women in the United States and the United Kingdom, those who had used a vibrator with a recent partner scored higher on sexual function (Schick et al., 2011).
In Norway, using sex toys was among the most common forms of sexual variety, along with watching pornography as a couple and having sex in unusual places (Træen et al., 2022).
And in three studies of couples, doing new activities together was associated with more sexual desire and, through it, with more relationship satisfaction; it is not about toys specifically, but it helps explain why shared novelty may matter (Muise et al., 2019).
Limits of the evidence
All are observational: an association does not show that toys cause greater satisfaction; it may be the other way round, or both may depend on another factor.
They rely on what each person reports and use very different samples; one focuses only on men who use remotely connected toys, and another is about novelty in couples in general, not about toys (Dussault et al., 2026; Muise et al., 2019).
The studies, one by one
We have gathered 9 verified studies. Each summary is our own; the quotation in inverted commas is taken word for word from the original abstract, in English.
Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 11,9442025
What they found: The frequency of sex toy use with a partner was significantly associated with greater relationship satisfaction. (Hald et al., 2025)
Population Respondents from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and the United Kingdom Journal J Sex Res
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“we found that sex toy ownership and use were significantly associated with higher sexual and life satisfaction, while higher relationship satisfaction was only significantly associated with currently owning a sex toy (but not number of sex toys) and frequency of use with a partner (but not alone).” Hald et al., 2025
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 3612025
What they found: A cross-sectional study of 361 women aged 18 to 35 found that those who used sex toys in partnered relationships had greater arousal, greater satisfaction and greater perceived orgasm intensity than those who used them only alone. (Sansone et al., 2025)
Population Sexually active women aged 18 to 35 in a heterosexual couple Journal J Sex Med
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“women using sex devices in the context of partnered intercourse had higher arousal and satisfaction scores (P = 0.042 and P = 0.004, respectively), as well as higher subjective perception of orgasmic intensity” Sansone et al., 2025
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 1,7592025
What they found: In a cross-sectional study of 1,759 women in stable relationships in Colombia, 72.76% used sex toys and their mean sexual function (FSFI) scores were slightly higher than those of non-users (29.55 versus 27.43); this is an observational association. (Espitia De La Hoz et al., 2025)
Population 1,759 women over 18 in stable relationships in Colombia Journal Rev Colomb Obstet Ginecol
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“of whom 1,280 used sex toys, for a prevalence of use of 72.76%” Espitia De La Hoz et al., 2025
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 3,0172021
What they found: 69.7% of women reach orgasm more often or find vaginal penetration more pleasurable by stimulating the clitoris with a finger or a sex toy during penetration. (Hensel et al., 2021)
Population American women aged 18 to 93 Journal PLoS One
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Finally, 69.7% of women orgasm more often or make vaginal penetration more pleasurable using 'Pairing': when a woman herself (Solo Pairing) or her partner (Partner Pairing) reaches down to stimulate her clitoris with a finger or sex toy at the same time as her vagina is being penetrated.” Hensel et al., 2021
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Type of study: Observational studySample n = 2,5192024
What they found: Sex toy use was not significantly related to relationship outcomes in the analysis of sexual behaviours as possible mediators of the association between pornography use and relationship wellbeing. (Dover et al., 2024)
Population People in heterosexual relationships from a national sample Journal Arch Sex Behav
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Both vaginal sex and oral sex had positive effects, while anal sex had a unique, negative effect (use of sex toys was not significantly related).” Dover et al., 2024
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 6172026
What they found: Use of connected sex toys with a partner, compared with use exclusively alone, was significantly associated with relationship status, more toys and sexual partners, greater sexual desire, the ability to reach orgasm with a partner and higher sexual self-esteem. (Dussault et al., 2026)
Population Cisgender men who used connected sex toys Journal J Sex Res
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Partnered teledildonics use, compared to exclusively solo use, was significantly associated with relationship status, higher number of sex toys and sexual partners, higher sexual desire, ability to orgasm with a partner, and sexual self-esteem.” Dussault et al., 2026
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)Sample n = 2,1922011
What they found: A cross-sectional web survey of 2192 women in the US and UK who had had sex only with women found that those who had used a vibrator with a recent partner scored higher on sexual function. (Schick et al., 2011)
Population Women who have sex with women in the US and UK Journal J Sex Med
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Women who reported recent vibrator use with other women had higher mean sexual functioning scores than women who reported no vibrator use or vibrator use only during masturbation.” Schick et al., 2011
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Type of study: Survey (cross-sectional study)2022
What they found: A cross-sectional survey of 2181 Norwegian men and 1967 Norwegian women aged 18 to 89 found that using sex toys was among the most common sexual variety experiences, along with watching pornography as a couple and having sex in unusual places. (Træen et al., 2022)
Population Adult men and women in Norway of different sexual orientations Journal J Sex Res
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“Among seven acts of sexual variety, the most common sexual experiences were trying to watch pornography with a partner, engaging in sex in unusual places, and using sex toys.” Træen et al., 2022
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Type of study: Study2019
What they found: In three studies of couples, doing new activities together that broaden personal experience was associated with greater sexual desire and, through it, with greater relationship satisfaction. (Muise et al., 2019)
Population Couples in established relationships Journal J Pers Soc Psychol
Verbatim quotation from the original abstract (in English)
“engaging in self-expanding activities with a partner is associated with higher sexual desire” Muise et al., 2019
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