Frequency Matters: How Often Should You Be Having Sex?

Couples often tend to fudge when asked about the number of times they indulge in sexual intercourse. But science has an accurate idea: an average adult does it about 54 times per year. For those who are wondering what the ideal number is, another research gives you the answer.

A 2015 study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal concluded that sexual frequency is not linked to well-being at a frequency greater than once per week.

"I do think couples can end up feeling pressure to try to engage in sex as frequently as possible," CNN quoted the study’s lead author Amy Muise, a postdoctoral researcher studying sexual relationships at Dalhousie University in Canada. “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," she added.

The researchers report that sexual intercourse has the ability to boost happiness since it makes couples feel more satisfied in their relationships. They opine that for people in relationships, the quality of their romantic relationship is the biggest predictor of their happiness. Although it is not bad, indulging in sex more than once every week might enhance that.

However, there are couples who stay happy in their relationships even when they have sex more than the above-mentioned frequency.

Experts refrain from prescribing a magic number when it comes to the ideal frequency of sex couples should have. Each couple is different and so are their relationships. Thus, it is best for couples to test it out for themselves and see how it goes.

“Sex is important to the degree that it makes a couple happy,” Health quoted Brain Jory, professor and the director of family studies at Berry College in Georgia.

Another 2015 study reported that increasing the frequency did not create happiness since it caused a decline in wanting and enjoyment involved with sexual activities.

One more study which analyzed sexual frequency by age reported that those under 30 do it 112 times a year and those in the age group 30-39 do it only 69 times per year. It suggested that sexual frequency declined with age. It is termed ‘sexual satiation’ and experts opine that there is nothing to be worried about.