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Americans Are Having Less Sex Than 20 Years Ago, Study Finds (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: American adults reported having nine fewer romps a year in the early 2010s than they did in the late 1990s -- dropping from an average of about 62 times a year between 1995 and 2000 to around 53 a year between 2010 and 2014. Researchers saw declines across ages, races, religions, education levels, employment statuses, and regions. They linked the sagging numbers to two trends: an increase in singletons over that period -- who tend to have less sex than married or partnered people -- plus a slow-down in the sex lives of married and coupled people. But the drivers of those trends are still unclear. The study is based on data from a long-standing national survey called the General Social Survey (GSS). It involves a nationally representative sample of Americans over 18 years old, surveyed most years between 1972 and 2014. The new study involved responses from 26,620 Americans. Specifically, researchers found that married people's annual whoopee frequency dropped from an average of nearly 69 in the 1995-2000 period to just below 56 in the 2010-2014 period. The unmarried saw their lovemaking drop from 54 per year to 51 in the same timeframes. Meanwhile, the number of people without steady partners -- married or otherwise -- rose from 26 percent of survey respondents in 2006 to 33 percent in 2014. People who took the biggest hits in the bedroom since the 1990s were those with a college degree (about 15 fewer times a year) and people living in the South (about 13 fewer times a year). The study has been published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Too much Netflix, not enough chill?
Correlation with the rise of smartphones, tablets, social media, video on demand, ubiquitous porn, and poor interpersonal skills?
...because people are evolving from homo sapiens into shpherical sapiens.
"Syfy" started making "Sci-Fi" again. And yes, some of it is even good. You're welcome. :-)
Do these figures include jacking it to Hentai?
You are welcome on my lawn.
Perhaps a correlation with the rising obesity rate?
Men tend to initiate sex much more than women do. Men also tend to watch porn much more than women do. So I have a hunch the ease of access to porn has resulted in men getting their gratification alone while watching porn, thus less sex is taking place. Additionally the normal, average woman does not compare to your typical porn star, which may also result in men developing unrealistic standards and thus not having sex with their partner as much due to higher expectations.
Better known as 318230.
Nice conjecture. I somehow doubt that gay people are bringing the average down. Wasn't the original complaint that we were having too much sex (like over 500 partners a year)?
You can call it truth if you want. It sounds more like a hypothesis that you want to believe is true.
Reality is a slackware box running on a 386 tucked away in god's sock drawer.
folks are making about 20% less than their parents did so it's not surprising. You need money to date. Plus being stressed about money all the time puts a damper on things.
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
The dirty little secret that Hollywood movies never told you is that married people have way more sex than singles. This drop in sexy times correlates to the drop in married couples in general (as the article cites). If you want to get it regular, put a ring on it and work to have a good relationship with your spouse.
If you disagree, please post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like
Too much Fa(r)cebook.
Seriously, the number of people who spend all their relaxation time buried in that pile of steaming shite
and ignoring their partner is just astounding, no wonder no intimacy happens....
Especially, I have to say it sorry, women. Many seem to spend much of their lives following all the other
women they know, and thinking that everyone else lives a better life than them (while also themselves
only posting the highlights of their own lives there, as glamorized as possible..).
Ignoring the usual 'no one on slashdot actually has physical relations' jokes, that really is the problem,
people are just becoming emotionally detached through not enough face to face time, so is anyone
actually surprised they are having less sex?
Trying to explain it to someone caught up in that BS though is like pulling the pin on a hand grenade, then
deciding its juggling time.. They will violently claim they dont spend 'that much' time on there, and that
anyway its only to keep in touch with their friends, and that it has no impact on their happiness or relationship.
That much denial is a scary thing...
Bringing down the average for everyone in our time zone. My wife's motto is "once every five years, whether we need it or not". Thank god for reddit gonewild. Oops. Can I edit that comment??
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
I'm definitely having less sex than I did 20 years ago!
Please tell me you're not 23.
If you post as Anonymous Coward, don't expect a reply.
the girl herslef said they are false, the accusations were made by a third-side feminist who thought she knew better than both of them
Just so folks can see a concrete, verifiable example of this kind of thing . . .
Two adult students have consensual sex; third parties decide otherwise, including the university. The male student is suspended before they even do him the courtesy of a show trial, ruining his education, athletic career, and (potential) medical career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
This is how the "rape culture" myth does irreparable harm, with college students getting the worst of it through abuse of Title IX.
I wouldn't be surprised if it's due to the over prescribing of anti-depressants. SSRI's are notorious for killing off your sex drive, and doctors prescribe them for everything under the sun.
I'm closing on 60 and still averaging over 150 a year (and about 9 hours a week). One may be related to the other-- sex may be of less value to average folks who take 3 to 15 minutes, half the women don't have an orgasm, etc.
Biggest suggestion I can make is to have your setup where the man can stand-- I prefer a inexpensive massage table. The height is adjustable. If she wants to ride cowboy, you can still lay down on it. It's comfortable but not so soft that you are fighting a mattress that's absorbing all your energy.
But for the guy- doing a 2 hour pushup is much harder than dancing for 2 hours.
Next, I'd say to guys *always* make sure she has an orgasm. Your orgasm is actually the optional one if you want to have a lot of sex- not hers.
And as you get older, look into tantric sex. But a little denial will actually make your interest stronger. And induces you to naturally be nice to her, complement her, etc.
I see so many couples who kill their sex lives thru random rejection. That's just a really deadly trap. One asks the other for sex and is rejected. After a few iterations, they stop asking.
To the women, I'd say- guys need to feel special and you gotta flatter them. That doesn't mean putting on lingerie and expecting them to get aroused. That works on 20 year olds but it fails against football and video games even for 28 year olds much less 30 year olds. Don't believe, "All I have to do is show up naked". No. You need to flirt. You need to touch. You need to express interest. Sure- he needs to do the same. But the male ego is a real thing. And even if he thinks he wants it- if his ego is torn up, the rocket isn't launching. Penetrative sex isn't the only show in town but it is the most important to many couples (and even women who feel validated that the male rose to the occasion).
To both sides: Brush and floss your teeth. A mouth that smells like decay isn't sexy. I don't even think I've ever seen a rule of 34 for that. For other body odors and scents- you need to talk to your partner and find out what they like. Antiseptic is good for some, but a little humanity is good for others and some folks like it ripe.
Anyway.. sounds like a really low rate. It's a wonderful human activity and can be a lot of fun.
She was like chocolate when she drank... semi-sweet at first and then increasingly bitter.
They are a destructive force that will call your employers, their bosses and shame the company into firing you whether or not you were actually guilty. Many of these degenerates just get off on ruining peoples lives just for ruining lives.
~ People that think they are better than anyone else for any reason are the cause of all the strife in the world.
This does not matter. A week from now your life will be no different. You will not change any of your behaviors for this. This is infotainment.
Listen, and understand. SJWs are out there. They canâ(TM)t be bargained with. They canâ(TM)t be reasoned with. They don't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And they absolutely WILL NOT stop. Ever. Until your career is dead.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Children. Yep, having children is the best birth control. And the 2000s had a spike in birth rates. In fact, the underlying cause of the housing bubble (not the finances which allowed it, but the behavior which these finances paid for) was people starting new families. The wedding industry boomed as well. And well, the saying is pretty old, but it still holds true. The best birth control is having children.
Any guest worker system is indistinguishable from indentured servitude.
Too much Fa(r)cebook. ...
Seriously, the number of people who spend all their relaxation time buried in that pile of steaming shite
and ignoring their partner is just astounding, no wonder no intimacy happens
Especially, I have to say it sorry, women. Many seem to spend much of their lives following all the other
women they know, and thinking that everyone else lives a better life than them (while also themselves
only posting the highlights of their own lives there, as glamorized as possible..).
Bingo!
I totally second that. Had precisely that experience with my last attempt to build a feasible relationship.
People need a basic ettiquette when it comes to social media and smartphones. Smartphone, tablet and laptop off when you're having quality time with your SO is my rule.
Facebook is not a social network, it's a global mental illness.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
I'm closing on 60 and still averaging over 150 a year (and about 9 hours a week).
Lucky bastard. ... Good for you.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
In regards to your sig, "Ad-Hominem attacks are the liberals concession of defeat. The more names they call you, the greater your victory"
Is unfair to actual liberals. Do a quick look up of "liberal" in the dictionary. The regressive left are anything BUT liberal. They are in fact bigots, who, ironically, call anyone that disagrees with them a bigot.
The Unicode standard is over 20 years old. Why does Slashdot not support it?
Oh ... It seems you were assuming there was a woman involved? :-)
Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
People are working more hours than they used to 20 years ago. When stress and anxiety increases, fight or flight response kicks in releasing all kinds of chemicals like cortisol. What this does is it shuts down parts of the body that it deems unnecessary in preparation to fight. These are things like digestion and reproductive functions among other things. I can't wait to see the news stories of the 90's come around again over the concern that Americans aren't having enough children. America has family values? Ha!
We'll make great pets
If I told young people how much sex we had in the seventies, they wouldn't even believe it. The eighties were pretty good, too, and I understand the sixties were, as well. We are living in very conservative times, yet many seem not to realize it. Also, kids, still waiting for you to move on from Punk Rock and create something new in Rock.
-- sudon't
Air-ride Equipped
As women move further up the ladder economically they are less and less dependent on men. While women still have their own inherent sexual drive, their sex drive is lower than men for a variety of reasons -- when they are younger, due to the inherent risks of pregnancy and child-rearing, and as they age, due to the decline in fertility and the increased risks of childbirth that come with aging.
I think there's all kinds of evolutionary biology that suggests that sex drive in women is tied to the availability a reliable provider. Pregnant women and women with small children have much greater survival vulnerability -- reduced mobility, increases in risks from physical threats, increased nutritional requirements for both them and any offspring too young to participate in food gathering. And this remains true whether you're talking about a hunter-gatherer community or contemporary American economics -- pregnancy and child-bearing are significant drags on female economic advancement in our economy.
Not only does having a reliable economic provider create the conditions for reduced child-bearing risk and increase innate sex drive, it also creates an environment where women are more likely to meet male sexual demands because of their economic dependency. They have both fewer disincentives for sexual activity and incentives to meet their partners demands for sexual contact even when their own sexual desire thresholds aren't met.
I think this goes some way to explaining why conservatives favor traditional female roles -- increased female dependency leads to increased male access to sexuality.
The way to improve the sagging sexual numbers in the US is probably much stronger economic rights for pregnant women (reduce economic risks associated with pregnancy). It won't help women at the end or past their fertility, though, since nature is already doing its job to reduce desire via declining hormones to prevent high risk pregnancies or because pregnancy is not possible.
Honestly, that is hilarious. I had to put my coffee down. You literally have no idea what you're saying. Addiction... for indulging in a basic human need. Good grief. You really need to find a new metaphor for people doing things they enjoy and likely do well.
My advice is to put a lot of effort into losing the psychobabble (also put down the cellphone[s] if that's where you and/or yours are spending significant amounts of time) and put some real effort into romance. Then perhaps you'll also get to participate in one of the most enjoyable, life-affirming, relationship-cementing activities out there at a rate higher than "I think we did that last month, didn't we?"
If not, you need a new partner. Or a partner, period.
Tip: Even if you're really busy, you both have to eat... and even meals can be romantic. Put some effort into it. Offhand / surface approaches aren't the way to go here. In a long-term relationship, when someone really feels cherished, that tends to work out really, really well. Tell your partner how you feel. Figure out how they feel. Proactively address their needs and desires. "Too tired" really means "too lazy, already wasted my free time on something other than you." At which point you deserve what you get. Which may be very little indeed.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Let's not forget or skip the more important fact that obesity has TRIPLED in the US since the 1990s. I've seen so many comments blaming Facebook, smart phones, or legislation. With so many of us so much bigger than we were in the 90's, it should come as NO surprise that everyone is being physical less frequently. http://stateofobesity.org/adul...
I blame gay marriage, its well known marriage results in less sex!
Thats the reason I Never could work out why the religious right were so against it!
Also, I just realized this whole conversation is the reason I have been having less sex lately.
Didn't read the article, but here's my speculation on potential factors...
Factor 1...With a higher percentage of women working, I'd bet they aren't feeling romantic as often after a day at the office.
Factor 2...Less disposable income. The Great Recession caused a lot of financial strain, and likely many arguments among couples...more stress, less sex.
Factor 3...Aging population.
Factor 4...More self absorbed, or internet distracted population.
Just another day in Paradise