Have you ever wondered how much sex should you do? every thought that what is a ‘standard’ sex time or frequency in other couples? Is it just sexual pleasure or has any health benefits as well?
Despite the popular myths and opinions, research tells that you don’t have to do sex every day. Yes, that’s right, doing sex every day is not necessary and it absolutely doesn’t guarantee a relationship’s health or closeness.
The study explains that it is common to assume all married or committed people do sex every day and that’s what makes them happy, as a couple. Most of the couples with higher sexual encounters are considered happier but sexual satisfaction could be achieved with sex, once every week.
All those people who did sex four or more times per week were not ‘happier’ than those who only do it on the weekends.
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Amy Muise from Dalhousie University, Canada is the lead author of this study says that; “I do think couples can end up feeling pressure to try to engage in sex as frequently as possible.”
Muise further said that; once a week “is maybe a more realistic goal to set than thinking you have to have sex every day and that feels overwhelming and you avoid it.”
Her paper was published a few months ago in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. It said that happiness in sex is due to the satisfaction of the people and not the frequency of sex.
This study was based on data obtained from two surveys “National Survey of Families and Households” with nearly 2,400 couples from the US.
People who are in any relationship, the quality of their time spent together to predict how happy they are, together.
Muise shares that more than one times sex might not ensure a happy relationship but it has no harm. If any couple wants to do it, it is perfectly fine. But if it is just to ensure happiness in their relation, it might not work.
But there are some couples which are not sure about it. they are unable to decide which of these two are more important to them; sexual satisfaction or happiness in relationship.
There are chances that people who do sex more often are happier with each other, signifying sex a connecting factor between them. But it doesn’t apply to everyone.
There is one catch in this whole sex-happiness debate. Weekly sex might be too much for some people and too little for other people. In the end, it’s all about understanding and compatibility of both partners that less sex might not affect it; or it is not up to a certain level and only sex improves it.
It all leaves one question; how much sex should you do? One aspect that Muise and her co-researchers highlight in their study is being open and vocal about relationships especially sex life.
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Vanessa Marin is a sex therapist from Berlin who says that question of how much sex is enough might never come between two partners who are too close to each other and satisfied with their relationship. Or, she adds, the exact opposite of this might also be a reason that both partners are too busy to even think about sexual frequency. For such couples, sex is more of a ritual and less affection.
Marin says that; Most couples want to be having more sex and I think this is really a result of how busy and full most of our lives are.”
Marin also says that there is no “fixed” number of sexual encounters that a couple should follow every day or every week. It is more of a personal experience where some people like to do more sex than others.
