The Society for Personality and Social Psychology found that the link between more sex and happiness is a myth. Researchers looked at surveys of more than 30,000 Americans over a period of 40 years, finding that the happiness of a couple having sex once per week is just as much or more than couples having sex multiple times per week.
Sexual frequency and the well-being of a single individual was found to have no association.
One study looked at the sexual frequency and happiness of 25,000 Americans from between 1989 and 2012. Couples report having sex once per week on average, and there was no correlation between age of relationship or age and sex frequency. Researchers noted that the once a week average was consistent among young participants and old participants.
The findings suggest that older couples are having just as much sex as younger couples. The researchers did not look into the increase of sexual medications, such as Cialis and the ability for older couples to have intercourse.
Researchers did find that there is a strong correlation between sex and happiness, much stronger than the association of money and happiness. Researchers note that more sex and money, combined, does provide more happiness up to a point.
Relationship satisfaction of more than 2,400 couples was measured and it was found that couples reported more satisfaction when sex increased to a minimum of once per week. There were no noticeable benefits when couples engaged in sex more than once per week.
The researchers do note that couples should not adjust their sexual frequency based on the study. Partners are encouraged to discuss their needs with one another. Pressure to engage in sex more often could be detrimental to a relationship.
Another study conducted on 34,000 people found that couples are having less sex with up to 29% of women and 29% of men reporting having no sex in the last month. Researchers concluded that while there’s no one single factor to blame for the decline in sex, the pace of modern life was noted as a key reason for declining sex.
Couples are having children later on in life, leading to men and women juggling work, responsibilities, children and childcare. Monthly sexual encounters for men, age 35 to 44, between 2001 and 2012 dropped from four times to two times per month. The only age group that didn’t show a decline was 16 – 24, or the age group with less responsibilities.
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