On Wednesday, 3 June 2026, the eighth popular science event within the 14th Open Thursday cycle will be held as part of the FUZ&JA science popularisation project of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. The lecture, entitled Female Sexuality: The Psychobiology of Desire and Behaviour, will be given by Asst. Prof. Irena Pavela Banai, PhD, from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek.
The lecture will be held in Room 39 at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek (Lorenza Jägera 9), starting at 6:00 p.m., and is open to the public.
ABOUT THE LECTURE:
Did you know that female sex hormones are among the most variable biological systems in the human body, while male hormones are relatively stable and predictable? Why do humans, unlike most other animal species, engage in sexual relations outside the fertile period as well? Does women’s sexual desire change in accordance with hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle?
This lecture will address the psychobiology of female sexuality and the role of hormones in sexual desire, partner choice, attraction and sexual fantasy. Drawing on examples from evolutionary psychology, neuroscience and contemporary research, it will explore questions concerning the nature of female sexuality, changes in sexual fantasies, the complexity of the female orgasm and the effects of hormonal contraception.
The lecture will also address popular myths about female sexuality and show that female sexuality is at once biological, psychological, social and deeply individual.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER:
Asst. Prof. Irena Pavela Banai, PhD, is an assistant professor at the Department of Psychology of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek. She graduated in psychology from the University of Zadar and obtained her PhD at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, with a dissertation in the field of biological and evolutionary psychology entitled Sexual Dimorphism and Voice Quality as a Function of the Menstrual Cycle.
In her research to date, she has explored the relationship between hormones, partner relationships and sexuality through an evolutionary approach to human behaviour. She has participated in international research projects in these areas and undertook professional development at the University of Stirling in Scotland as part of the Behavior and Evolution Research Group.
More recently, her research interests have also focused on mental health and physical activity. As Head of the Centre for Mental Health and Physical Activity at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, she conducts research and science popularisation activities aimed at promoting physical activity as an important factor in mental health.
At the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek, she teaches courses in methodology, biological psychology, sexuality and sport psychology, while more broadly seeking in her work to connect research findings on topics that are close to people and often surrounded by myths – such as female sexuality.