Coolidge effect

noun

A phenomenon in animal species whereby males (and to a lesser extent females) exhibit renewed sexual interest if introduced to new receptive sexual partners, even after cessation of sex with prior but still available sexual partners.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounCoolidge effect (plural Coolidge effects)

plural Coolidge effects

  1. biologyA phenomenon in animal species whereby males (and to a lesser extent females) exhibit renewed sexual interest if introduced to new receptive sexual partners, even after cessation of sex with prior but still available sexual partners.

Origin

First used in a 1955 publication by behavioral endocrinologist Frank A. Beach, to whom it was suggested by a student, in reference to a joke about US president Calvin Coolidge and sexual promiscuity.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Coolidge effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Coolidge%20effect

MLA

“Coolidge effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Coolidge%20effect. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Coolidge effect,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Coolidge%20effect.

Source: Coolidge effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.