Getting busy is known to be a mood booster, so having more sex should just make you even happier, right? Turns out doubling your pleasure doesn't necessary double the fun, according to a new study. Making a point to do it more often (as in, deliberately trying to up the frequency) can actually make people feel less enthusiastic and more tired, found new research from Carnegie Mellon University.
For the study, researchers recruited 64 couples and had them record their bedroom romps and their feelings. Half of the couples were given no instructions about how much sex to have, while the other half were told to do the nasty twice as much as usual. At the end of the month, those who'd doubled their times in the sack were not any happier. In fact, they said their sex drives were lower than usual and they were enjoying sex less. The problem seems to be the stress of feeling required to do it more often and not just being able to initiate sex when they wanted. CC: every sexual partner who just has to have it all the time.
Now study authors still think many couples could benefit from getting busy more often. Desire drops off a lot more quickly than enjoyment, they say. In other words, you'll generally get into it even if you're not feeling especially frisky at the start.
But to avoid disappointment, your goal shouldn't be to have the crazy sex marathons you and your guy had early in the relationship. That's way too much pressure. Instead, focus on making your bedroom a place that helps get you in the mood—so you'll naturally be more inclined to want to have sex. Sounds like a good excuse to buy yourself some new scented candles or book a date night out on the town, perhaps?