Study Shows People Are Having Less Sex Than They Used To

Study Shows People Are Having Less Sex Than They Used To

If you’ve been thinking that you’re having less and less sex, you’re not alone.

A study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior journal found that there has been an overall drop in how frequently people are having sex, as compared to rates in the early 1990s.

The study especially highlighted how those who were married, who traditionally had more sex than those who were single, had rates that had drastically fallen. In 1990, married couples were estimated to have sex an average of 73 times a year, while in 2014 that number had dropped to 55.

“The results suggest that Americans are having sex less frequently due to two primary factors: An increasing number of individuals without a steady or marital partner and a decline in sexual frequency among those with partners,” explains the study.

Sex has oftentimes been linked to a happier lifestyle, with a study recently showing that affection before and after sex plays a vital role in that happiness. The Archives of Sexual Behavior’s study hypothesizes that mental health, and the medication that could potentially accompany it, can be to blame for the decrease in sex rates. In addition, social media, entertainment and an overall decline of happiness could be to blame.

“We do know that sexual frequency is linked to marital satisfaction, so overall if you have fewer people having sex, you could have people who are less happy and less satisfied with that relationship.” said Jean M. Twenge, the study’s lead author, to Washington Heights.

Cover image courtesy of Getty Images.