Tuesday, April 23, 2013

In sex, happiness hinges on keeping up with the Joneses


Thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us very happy

Using national survey data and statistical analyses, Tim Wadsworth of the University of Colorado Boulder found that people reported steadily higher levels of happiness as they reported steadily higher sexual frequency.

But, he also found that even after controlling for their own sexual frequency, people who believed they were having less sex than their peers were unhappier than those who believed they were having as much or more than their peers.

“There’s an overall increase in sense of well-being that comes with engaging in sex more frequently, but there’s also this relative aspect to it, having more sex makes us happy, but thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us even happier.”

Professor Wadsworth’s findings entitled, “Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness: How Other People’s Sex Lives are Related to our Sense of Well-Being,” was recently published in Social Indicators Research.


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The above story is based on the April 15, 2013 news release by the University of Colorado Boulder


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