Sexual Frequency Predicts Greater Well-Being, But More is Not Always Better
Abstract
Is it true that engaging in more frequent sex is associated with greater well-being? The media emphasizes—and research supports—the claim that the more sex you have, the happier you will feel. Across three studies (N = 30,645), we demonstrate that the association between sexual frequency and well-being is best described by a curvilinear (as opposed to a linear) association where sex is no longer associated with well-being at a frequency of more than once a week. In Study 1, the association between sexual frequency and well-being is only significant for people in relationships. In Studies 2 and 3, which included only people in relationships, sexual frequency had a curvilinear association with relationship satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction mediated the association between sexual frequency and well-being. For people in relationships, sexual frequency is no longer significantly associated with well-being at a frequency greater than once a week.
Get full access to this article
View all access and purchase options for this article.
References
Blanchflower D. G., Oswald A. J. (2004). Money, sex and happiness: An empirical study. Scandinavian Journal of Economics, 106, 393–415. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9442.2004.00369.x
Brezsnyak M., Whisman M. A. (2004). Sexual desire and relationship functioning: The effects of marital satisfaction and power. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 30, 199–217.
Brief A. P., Butcher A. H., George J. M., Link K. E. (1993). Integrating bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective well-being: The case of health. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 646–653.
Burleson M. H., Trevathan W. R., Todd M. (2007). In the mood for love or vice versa? Exploring the relations among sexual activity, physical affection, affect, and stress in the daily lives of mid-aged women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 357–368.
Byers E. S. (2005). Relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction: A longitudinal study of individuals in long-term relationships. Journal of Sex Research, 42, 113–118.
Call V., Sprecher S., Schwartz P. (1995). The incidence and frequency of marital sex in a national sample. Journal of Marriage and Family, 57, 639–652.
Cheng Z., Smyth R. (2015). Sex and happiness. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 112, 26–32.
Diener E. D., Emmons R. A., Larsen R. J., Griffin S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49, 71–75.
Diener E., Ng W., Tov W. (2008). Balance in life and declining marginal utility of diverse resources. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 3, 277–291.
Gardner R. Jr (2008, 6 8). Yes, dear. Tonight again. The New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/fashion/08nights.html
Gruber J. (2011). Can feeling too good be bad? Positive emotion persistence (PEP) in bipolar disorder. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20, 217–221.
Heller D., Watson D., Iles R. (2004). The role of person versus situation in life satisfaction: A critical examination. Psychological Bulletin, 130, 574–600.
Impett E. A., Muise A., Peragine D. (2014). Sexuality in the context of relationships. In Diamond L., Tolman D. (Eds.), APA handbook of sexuality and psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 269–316). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Kahneman D., Krueger A. B. (2006). Developments in the measurement of subjective well-being. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 20, 3–24.
Kahneman D., Krueger A. B., Schkade D. A., Schwarz N., Stone A. A. (2004). A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: The day reconstruction method. Science, 306, 1776–1780.
Kahneman D., Krueger A. B., Schkade D. A., Schwarz N., Stone A. A. (2006). Would you be happier if you were richer? A focusing illusion. Science, 312, 1908–1910.
Laumann E. O., Gagnon H. J., Michael R. T., Michaels S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
Loewenstein G., Krishnamurti T., Kopsic J., McDonald D. (2015). Does increased sexual frequency enhance happiness? Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 116, 206–218.
Lyubomirsky S., Layous K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 57–62.
Mauss I. B., Tamir M., Andersen C. L., Savino N. S. (2011). Can seeking happiness make people unhappy? Paradoxical effects of valuing happiness. Emotion, 11, 807–815.
McCarthy B., Metz M. (2008). The “Good Enough Sex” model: A case illustration. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 23, 227–234.
McNulty J. K., Fincham F. D. (2012). Beyond positive psychology? Toward a contextual view of psychological processes and well-being. American Psychologist, 67, 101–110.
Metz M. E., McCarthy B. W. (2007). The “Good-Enough Sex” model for couple sexual satisfaction. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 22, 351–362.
Nakasato N., Schimmack U., Oishi S. (2011). Effects of changes in living condition on well-being: A prospective top-down bottom-up model. Social Indicators Research, 100, 115–135.
Nelson L., Simonsohn U. (2014, 9 14). Thirty-somethings are shrinking and other u-shaped challenges. Retrieved from http://datacolada.org/2014/09/17/27-thirty-somethings-are-shrinking-and-other-u-shaped-challenges/
Preacher K. J., Hayes A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40, 879–891.
Preacher K. J., Selig J. P. (2010). Monte Carlo method for assessing multilevel mediation: An interactive tool for creating confidence intervals for indirect effects in 1-1-1 multilevel models [Computer software]. Retrieved from http://www.quantpsy.org
Rusbult C. E., Martz J. M., Agnew C. R. (1998). The investment model scale: Measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size. Personal Relationships, 5, 357–387.
Selig J. P., Preacher K. J. (2008, 6). Monte Carlo method for assessing mediation: An interactive tool for creating confidence intervals for indirect effects [Computer software]. Retrieved from http://quantpsy.org/
Smith T. W., Marsden P., Hout M., Kim J. (2011). General Social Surveys, 1972–2010 [Machine-readable data file]. Sponsored by National Science Foundation. Chicago, IL: National Opinion Research Center.
Sweet J. A., Bumpass L. L., Call V. (1988). The design and content of the National Survey of Families and Households. Madison: University of Wisconsin, Center for Demography and Ecology.
Vrangalova Z. (2015). Does casual sex harm college students’ well-being? A longitudinal investigation of the role of motivation. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44, 945–959.
Wadsworth T. (2014). Sex and the pursuit of happiness: How other people’s sex lives are related to our sense of well-being. Social Indicators Research, 116, 115–135. doi:10.1007/s11205-013-0267-1
Biographies
Amy Muise is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research focuses on sexuality in romantic relationships.
Ulrich Schimmack is a professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. His research aims to contribute to the scientific understanding of happiness.
Emily A. Impett is an associate professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Her research focuses on how close relationships contribute to happiness and well-being.
Handling Editor: Simine Vazire
Cite article
Cite article
Cite article
OR
Download to reference manager
If you have citation software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice
Information, rights and permissions
Information
Published In
Article first published online: November 18, 2015
Issue published: May 2016
Keywords
History
Published online: November 18, 2015
Issue published: May 2016
Authors
Metrics and citations
Metrics
Journals metrics
This article was published in Social Psychological and Personality Science.
VIEW ALL JOURNAL METRICSArticle usage*
Total views and downloads: 9789
*Article usage tracking started in December 2016
Altmetric
See the impact this article is making through the number of times it’s been read, and the Altmetric Score.
Learn more about the Altmetric Scores
Articles citing this one
Web of Science: 84 view articles Opens in new tab
Crossref: 86
- Sexual Coping Mechanisms During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Their Determ...
- Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Severity of Sexual Dysfunction Sy...
- Evidence for Sex Differences in Depression, Sexual Attitudes, and Impu...
- Darling, Come Lay with Me or Talk with Me: Perceived Mattering and the...
- The role of sexting in couple wellbeing for Italian women during the s...
- Sexual Satisfaction Mediates the Effects of the Quality of Dyadic Sexu...
- Infidelity in the Adolescence Stage: The Roles of Negative Affect, Hos...
- Is Spontaneous Sex Ideal? Beliefs and Perceptions of Spontaneous and P...
- “Feeling It”: Links between elements of compassion and sexual well-bei...
- Initial Impacts of COVID-19 on Sex Life and Relationship Quality in St...
- Religiosity, Sex Frequency, and Sexual Satisfaction in Britain: Eviden...
- Romantic Duration, Relationship Quality, and Attachment Insecurity amo...
- Facemasks cannot kiss: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sexu...
- Coping or Thriving? Reviewing Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Societ...
- Closeness and distance: relationships and sexuality during the COVID-1...
- Context Matters: Moderating Effects in the Associations between Pornog...
- Impacts of COVID-19 on sexual behaviour in Britain: findings from a la...
- PowerLAPIM: An application to conduct power analysis for linear and qu...
- Introduction to the special issue: Nonlinear effects and dynamics in c...
- Evaluation of male sexual parameters in infertile couples with a histo...
- A test of the investment model among asexual individuals: The moderati...
- A Mixed Methods Study of Sexual Communication in Various Couple Typolo...
- Feeling Close and Seeing a Partner in a New Light: How Self-Expansion ...
- Postcopulatory Adaptations
- Shifts in Partner Attractiveness
- Cross-cultural variations in romantic and sexual attitudes and experie...
- Hormonal Contraception Use and Sexual Frequency across Young Women’s I...
- Sexual growth mindsets and rejection sensitivity in sexual satisfactio...
- Attachment Orientations, Sexual Behavior, and Relationship Satisfactio...
- Variable Sexual Satisfaction in Pregnancy: A Latent Profile Analysis o...
- Sex Feelings: A Mediated Group Path Analysis of the Association of Per...
- Besonderheiten von Sexualität bei psychischen Störungen
- Die Wirkung von Motiven und Bindungsstilen auf Sexualität
- Perceptual Accuracy for Sexual Rejection in Romantic Relationships
- Influence of COVID-19 on lifestyle behaviors in the Middle East and No...
- The Health Benefits of Sexual Expression
- Male sexual functions and behaviors in the age of COVID-19: Evaluation...
- Securing Your Relationship: Quality of Intimate Relationships During t...
- Changes in Sexual Fantasy and Solitary Sexual Practice During Social L...
- Facilitating and motivating support: How support‐seekers can affect th...
- Are Couples More Satisfied When They Match in Sexual Desire? New Insig...
- Comparing the Self-Reported Health, Happiness, and Marital Happiness o...
- Natural Family Planning and Marital Chastity: The Effects of Periodic ...
- Sexuality and relationships
- When Is Enough Enough? Orgasm's Curvilinear Association With Relationa...
- Initial Impacts of COVID-19 on Sex Life and Relationship Quality in St...
- Romantic Relationship Conflict Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Change...
- Sexual Nostalgia as a Response to Unmet Sexual and Relational Needs: T...
- COVID-19 and Sexuality: Reinventing Intimacy
- Communication and Sexual Self-help: Erotica, Kink and The Fifty Shades...
- Sexual and Relationship Satisfaction in Young, Heterosexual Couples: T...
- A sexual health course for advanced practice registered nurses: Effect...
- Step Out of Line: Modeling Nonlinear Effects and Dynamics in Close-Rel...
- Does COVID-19 pandemic affect sexual behaviour? A cross-sectional, cro...
- Sexual Desire Discrepancy: A Position Statement of the European Societ...
- Self-esteem and sexual health: a multilevel meta-analytic review
- High Emotional and Sexual Satisfaction Among Partnered Midlife Canadia...
- Declining Sexual Activity and Desire in Women: Findings from Represent...
- An integrated model of social psychological and personality psychologi...
- A communal approach to sexual need responsiveness in romantic relation...
- Sex as Relationship Maintenance
- Sexual Motivation in Couples Coping with Female Sexual Interest/Arousa...
- References
- Body Image Development and Sexual Satisfaction: A Prospective Study Fr...
- Sexual communal motivation in couples coping with low sexual interest/...
- Changes in, and factors associated with, frequency of sex in Britain: ...
- No Longer in a Dry Spell: The Developing Understanding of How Sex Infl...
- Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Couple and Family Therapy
- The relationship implications of rejecting a partner for sex kindly ve...
- Is it me or you? First-time mothers’ attributions for postpartum sexua...
- Communal motivation in couples coping with vulvodynia: Sexual distress...
- Looking at the bigger picture: Young men’s sexual health from a psycho...
- Male Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder in Couple and Family Therapy
- Anhang
- Exploring sexual behaviors and health communication among older women
- Declines in Sexual Frequency among American Adults, 1989–2014
- Understanding When a Partner Is Not in the Mood: Sexual Communal Stren...
- Sexual intimacy in couples is associated with longer telomere length
- Quantifying the Sexual Afterglow: The Lingering Benefits of Sex and Th...
- Seeking Connection Versus Avoiding Disappointment: An Experimental Man...
- More Than Just Sex...
- Is Comparison the Thief of Joy? Sexual Narcissism and Social Compariso...
- The More or the Better? How Sex Contributes to Life Satisfaction
- LA VIE DE COUPLE ET LE BONHEUR
- Sexual well-being of older men and women
- Capturing the Interpersonal Implications of Evolved Preferences? Frequ...
Figures and tables
Figures & Media
Tables
View Options
Get access
Access options
If you have access to journal content via a personal subscription, university, library, employer or society, select from the options below:
loading institutional access options
ARP and EASP members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
ARP and EASP members can access this journal content using society membership credentials.
Alternatively, view purchase options below:
Purchase 24 hour online access to view and download content.
Access journal content via a DeepDyve subscription or find out more about this option.
