Couples who constantly “Netflix and chill” aren’t
necessarily happier. In fact, having sex once a week is just about perfect.
That’s the takeaway from a new study, based on surveys of more than 30,000
Americans gathered over 40 years, published in the journal Social Psychological
and Personality Science.
After
previous research found more wealth wasn’t actually associated with greater
happiness, lead author Amy Muise began to wonder if the same was true for sex,
“an aspect of life that is thought to be associated with greater happiness,”
she says, per Time.
However,
researchers found that while couples who have sex once a week are happier than
those who have sex less often, “having sex more frequently than once a week was
not associated with greater well-being.” The findings held regardless of
gender, age, or the length of a relationship.
The
study found couples who had sex less than once a month and those who knocked
boots once a week reported a difference in life satisfaction that was even
greater than that reported by couples who earn $15,000 to $25,000 annually and
those who earn $50,000 to $75,000, according toa release.
Muise
isn’t sure why having sex once a week seems to be ideal, but it may “be the
frequency that people feel is enough to maintain their intimate connection,”
she says. The “big problem” one researcher not involved found with the study is
that it identifies correlation, not causation.
“People
are basically having as much sex as they want, and for some reason … [those who
do it] about once a week seem to be happier,” George Loewenstein tells the Guardian (see his sex
research here). As for single people,
Muise says researchers found no link between sexual frequency and happiness
among that group. (It turns out men and women want sex at different times of the day.)
By Arden Dier
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