When it comes to sexting, there are plenty of misconceptions about the nature of this oh-so-debated sexual act (see "The Dangers Of Sexting" headlines). But it turns out that the actual research on our sexting behavior reveals some interesting, counterintuitive things about its influence on modern relationships.For example, it turns out sexting might be just as much a part of modern monogamy as it is a part of hookup culture — and maybe even more so. While there's nothing wrong with experimenting with sexting outside of a relationship, sending sexy texts or photos may actually predict the presence of a committed relationship, researchers found in a 2011 study published in Computers in Human Behavior Through a questionnaire that asked 459 heterosexual, unmarried undergraduate students about sexting habits, dating anxiety, attachment style, and the level of commitment they needed to feel comfortable sexting, the researchers found that sexting was more common among people with stable romantic partners than people without.Upon diving deeper into their data, the research team was surprised by the study's findings, researcher Rob Weisskirch explained in an article for The Conversation . The researchers' initial hypothesis was that people with insecure attachment styles (those who, according to attachment theory , are less secure in their intimate relationships and more anxious about a partner leaving) and higher anxiety about being single in general, would have higher rates of sexting. Although the researchers did find a link between worrying about what a partner thinks of you and sexting behavior, they also found that people who tended to have more secure attachment styles actually sexted more.In other words, sexting is related to comfort with intimate relationships, rather than insecure attachment."What this tells us is that people may be concerned with pleasing their partner's desire — or perceived desire — to engage in sexting, and that it is the comfort with intimacy in relationships that may allow sexting to occur. And, when there is greater relationship commitment, this continues to be the case," Weisskirch wrote.