We propose a transactional model of romantic sensory interactions, according to which male and female intimates adapt to the specific context of their romantic relationships by adopting different sensory domains of interactions with their partners. To test this model, we measured romantic couples’ orientations toward using sensory modalities of romantic relating, and the importance of these modalities (N = 137 couples). Although not all hypotheses were supported, the findings suggest that men's relationship satisfaction, passionate love, and liking were driven by a stronger orientation toward touch, whereas women's relationship satisfaction, passionate love, liking, and commitment were predicted by a stronger preference for hearing. Higher differential valuing of touch and bodily sensations predicted higher passionate love for both men and women, suggesting that these sensory modalities have similar functions for both genders — to maintain sexual desire and passionate love for the partner. These findings underscore the importance of romantic couples’ differential sensory orientations in maintaining satisfying relationships.

In the avian cerebrum and in the spinal cord, sympathetic ganglia, hypothalamico pre-optic area and cerebral cortex of the rat sexually dimorphic' nuclei are clearly recognisable. Similar differences have been described in the human brain. Morphometric analysis has shown a sexually dimorphic nucleus in the pre-optic area. There is continuing controversy over differences in the size and shape of the corpus callosum, but there is accumulating evidence of cerebral asymmetry with more focal representation of language and praxic functions in the left cerebral hemisphere in females. The various sensory modalitites also show gender differences. The significance of these secondary sexual variations in brain structure resides in the developmental and behavioural characteristics of the underlying neural circuits.