Episode 131: The Past, Present, and Future of the Kinsey Institute

In 1947, Dr. Alfred Kinsey established the Institute for Sex Research to protect and preserve his pioneering research on human sexuality. Later renamed the Kinsey Institute, the organization founded by Dr. Kinsey has continued his legacy for 75 years. While many other sex research institutes founded by pioneers in the field have shut down, Kinsey has survived by adapting to the ever-shifting sexual landscape and its researchers continue to break new ground in the field. In today’s episode, we’re going to discuss the past, present, and future of the Kinsey Institute.

I am joined by Dr. Justin Garcia, the current director of the Kinsey Institute. Dr. Garcia is an evolutionary biologist and sex researcher whose work focuses on the evolutionary and biocultural foundations of romantic and sexual relationships across the life course. He is also a professor of gender studies at Indiana University and the scientific advisor to Match.com. Some of the topics we discuss include:

• How did the Institute originally came into existence, and how has its purpose and mission evolved over time?
• What are some of the biggest scientific contributions made by the Kinsey Institute that have changed the way people think about sex?
• What is the role of the Institute in preserving sexual and erotic art and history? (Fun fact: the Kinsey Institute is home to the world’s largest collection of erotic art and artifacts outside of the Vatican!)
• What are some of the biggest challenges the Institute has faced over the last 75 years, and what are the modern challenges?
• What does the future hold for the Kinsey Institute?

To learn more about the Kinsey Institute, visit kinseyinstitute.org and follow @kinseyinstitute on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To learn more about Dr. Garcia, follow @drjustingarcia on Twitter.

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Credits: Precision Podcasting (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.