Performance Anxiety
Anxiety about being evaluated or "doing it right" in sexual situations, which can activate inhibition and reduce pleasure, arousal, or connection.
What This Really Means
Performance anxiety often comes from sexual scripts, past criticism, body image pressure, and outcome-focused expectations.
It can affect anyone, regardless of gender or experience.
Helpful supports include slowing down, shifting toward state-based rewards, improving consent communication, and building sexual confidence through safe, realistic feedback.
Examples
Losing arousal when worrying about erections or orgasm
Feeling tense and distracted by self-monitoring
Avoiding initiation due to fear of disappointing a partner.
Common Misunderstandings
Tap each myth to reveal the reality
Performance Anxiety isn’t defined by you don't want your partner, and it’s about anxiety about being evaluated or "doing it right" in sexual situations.
More accurately, Performance Anxiety refers to anxiety about being evaluated or "doing it right" in sexual situations, and it only affects men doesn’t follow from that.
Performance Anxiety points to anxiety about being evaluated or "doing it right" in sexual situations, so the solution is to try harder or fake confidence is a misunderstanding.
More accurately, Performance Anxiety refers to anxiety about being evaluated or "doing it right" in sexual situations, and anxiety disappears once you find the "right" partner doesn’t follow from that.
Tags
Inside LoveIQ
We identify patterns related to Performance Anxiety by analyzing responses in our assessment modules, helping you understand your unique relationship dynamics.
Sample visualization of a gap metric.
“You don't need to label yourself. These terms help describe patterns — not define you.”
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