Why Does Frequent Sex Make People Happier?

Its pretty evident as to why sex makes people happier, anybody would agree, however for the sake of the word count for this blog post I’m going to back that statement up with some sources.

According to Debrot and colleague, frequent sex is associated with greater emotional well-being, increased positive emotions and affectionate interactions with a romantic partner, which in turn, leads to a higher probability of more sexual encounters in the long term (Debrot, Meuwly, Muise, Impett & Schobi, 2017). The participants in this study recorded their satisfaction through a daily diary, in which it was discovered that partners that reported engaging in sexual interactions within the last 24 hours experienced a higher state of positivity.

With that evidence, why are people who have more sex happier? Is it just the sex? As The British Psychological Society Research Digest says “It’s all in the cuddling“. There has been a considerable lack of research looking at the affection and tenderness that ensues between romantic partners hours and days after sex. It is a human need to experience belonging and satisfying emotional connections with other individuals and partners. One of the ways that human beings can experience this need for affection is through non-verbal interactions. Sex is thought to be the dominant form of nonverbal affectionate behaviour, however in a recent study, it has been concluded that touch is the “most common non-verbal form of affection” (Debrot, Schoebi, Perez & Horn, 2013).

Through four different studies focusing on the connection between affectionate experiences, sexual activity and the impact those two factors have on well-being, Debrot and colleagues further explore the human need for affection:

The first study’s purpose was to just solidify the science behind the contribution sex has on well-being, also expecting that the frequency of affectionate touching would greatly influence this relationship, concluding that sex had a direct effect on well-being, as predicted, hinting at the indication of affection having an effect on how satisfied an individual is with life after sex.

The second study delved into whether or not sex influenced positive emotions, while also determining how often affectionate touching and frequency of sexual interactions occur. The results also coincided with the hypothesis similarly to study 1, and was found that men actually prefer affectionate touches more than women, and experience a higher sense of well-being when affection was associated during/after sexual activity.

In the third study, it was hypothesized that affection and sex would improve daily life. This was also proven true, going to the point of deducing that couples that were satisfied with daily sex experienced a higher rate of relationship satisfaction six months later (Debrot et al., 2017).

The fourth and final study in this research further solidified the effect affection has on the proven sex-wellbeing relationship. The results from this study has shown that affection not only positively influences one’s well-being, but as previously stated, also increases the chances of sexual encounters later.

In conclusion: Studio Thursday one-night-stands could possibly improve your wellbeing, but if there’s no cuddling after sex, is it really worth it?

Thanks for the read! 🙂

References:

Debrot, A., Schoebi, D., Perrez, M., & Horn, A. B. (2013). Touch as an interpersonal emotion regulation process in couples’ daily lives: the mediating role of psychological intimacy. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 39(10), 1373-1385.

Debrot, A., Meuwly, N., Muise, A., Impett, E. A., & Schoebi, D. (2017). More Than Just Sex: Affection Mediates the Association Between Sexual Activity and Well-Being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin