Are Men Who Play With Adult Sex Dolls Mentally Healthy?
Critics call doll owners likely to commit sex crimes. A good study disagrees.
Posted August 15, 2025 | Reviewed by Monica Vilhauer Ph.D.
When grown men play with sex dolls, especially today’s AI-enabled, more lifelike dolls, many people assert that sex-doll play objectifies women, contributes to anti-female attitudes, and spurs sexual assault and pedophilia. Some critics have proposed a ban on the dolls—now a multi-million dollar a year industry worldwide—and criminal prosecution for those who own or sell them.
However, a recent study shows that sex-doll owners are normal, mentally healthy guys whose problems with relationships steered them to play with sex toys that are inanimate substitutes for real women.
English researchers used online discussion forums for sex-doll aficionados to recruit 158 owners of adult-looking female dolls. They completed a survey that asked why they bought their dolls, and then probed their mental health. A matched control group of 135 similar men also completed the survey, minus the questions about doll ownership.
The researchers found no significant differences between owners and non-owners, and no evidence that, compared with non-owners, doll owners pose any greater sexual threat to women or society.
Doll Ownership: No Link to Sexual Aggression or Sex Crimes
In the survey, most of the doll owners were Americans (55 percent). The rest hailed from the UK, Canada, and Europe. They ranged in age from 25 to 50, with an average age of 38. Not surprisingly, they were overwhelmingly heterosexual men (82 percent), with some bisexual (16 percent) or gay (2 percent). The non-owners were less hetero (77 percent) and more likely to be gay (12 percent). Doll owners were much more likely to be single, separated, or divorced . Consistent with that, compared with non-owners, they reported considerably less partner sex. They owned an average of three dolls and played with them frequently—up to 24 times a month, and on average 11 times per month.
Why did they buy dolls? Obviously, for simulated sex. Almost three-quarters (70 percent) cited sex as their top reason for owning dolls. The other 30 percent? They were less into sex and more into dressing up their dolls, photographing them, and having pet-like relationships with them.
Psychologically, doll owners and non-owners were quite similar. There were some differences, but they were small. The owners reported somewhat less sexual self-esteem and a little more performance anxiety . Owners were a bit more likely to feel sexually entitled, believing that women “owed” them sex. And they were somewhat more likely to view women as mysterious and unknowable, which dovetails with the fact that so many were single, separated, or divorced.
However, compared with men who did not own dolls, owners were less likely to fantasize about sexual coercion or report any interest in sexual aggression against women. The researchers observed that owners’ psychological makeup “…suggests that dolls act as a safe surrogate for relationships with living people due to concerns about their own sexual performance and lack of understanding of women…. Doll ownership does not appear to be associated with sexual aggression or sexual offending.”
Sex Dolls Are Becoming More Life-Like
Sex dolls debuted around 50 years ago as cheap inflatable novelty items, essentially balloons in the shape of adult women, with pouches for women’s three erotic openings.
Since then, sex dolls have become increasingly lifelike. Today, they look much more like real women. They’re made from advanced materials, usually thermoplastic elastomer, which has the feel and flexibility of skin. They have detailed faces and anatomy, hair on their heads and possibly between their legs, and more lifelike erotic openings. They also cost several thousand dollars, a figure likely to increase as doll manufacturers incorporate artificial intelligence features that allow their products to engage in the kind of talk heard in pornography .
The researchers conclude by chiding those who see sex-doll use as necessarily nefarious. “Men who own sex dolls are not notably different from non-owners. This suggests that studying sex doll ownership through a lens that assumes psychopathology might be misguided.”
So, according to this study, men who own sex dolls are psychologically normal. They don’t hate women. They simply don’t feel comfortable with them and prefer to play sexually with inanimate surrogates.
Today, more than half of American women own vibrators. What’s wrong with men playing with sex toys of their own?
Harper, CA et al. “Exploring the Psychological Characteristics and Risk-Related Cognitions of Individuals Who Own Sex Dolls,” Journal of Sex Research (2023) 60:190. Doi: 10.1080/00224499.2022.2031848.
Share this post Facebook Bluesky Linkedin Email
There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
By submitting your information you agree to the Psychology Today Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Michael Castleman, M.A. , is a San Francisco-based journalist. He has written about sexuality for 36 years.
Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.