Investigation into the nature and experience of Widow’s Fire

This exploratory study investigated Widow’s Fire (WF): the intense desire for sex post-bereavement. Few studies consider younger people and/or men, or WF specifically. One hundred twenty‑three widowed individuals completed an online survey (26 men, 97 women). The mean age at the time of loss was 44.3 years. One hundred nine participants had experienced WF. Content Analysis was used to analyse open-text comments. Participants used strong, emotive language to describe WF (e.g. need/desire/want, burning/compelling/overwhelming). The feelings that these experiences provoked included guilt and confusion, but also excitement. Eighty‑six participants experienced WF within the first 12 months post-bereavement. Only 9 participants had heard of WF prior to their loss and/or experiencing it themselves. The study indicates that WF is a real phenomenon which is not clearly understood in terms of the psychological factors behind it. There is scope for future work to expand on the findings of this study and to increase the awareness of WF more generally.