November 18, 2015

"But when the researchers crunched the numbers to find out if there's an upper limit to improving well-being through sex..."

"... they found that the happiness maxed out at sex about once a week."
"This showed a linear association between sex and happiness up to a frequency of once a week, but at higher frequencies there is no longer an association," Amy Muise, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto Mississauga who led the research, said in an email. "Therefore it is not necessary, on average, for couples to aim to engage in sex as frequently as possible."
I find the word "necessary" funny.

31 comments:

Matt said...

Someone should have told Charlie Sheen earlier.

Also, is it once per week in total or once per week per partner?

Etienne said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wince said...

But when the researchers crunched the numbers to find out if there's an upper limit to improving well-being through sex...

Unless "crunched the numbers" is a euphemism, the study ignored the masturbation loophole.

cubanbob said...

Too many variables. Another junk study.

n.n said...

Less family, procreation, etc. More work as taxable commodities. The State must have a $20 trillion dollar shortfall with numerous projects on the near horizon.

exhelodrvr1 said...

Whose happiness is being measured?

Meade said...

Oh, occasionally the early evening, but usually the late evening - or the mid-evening. Just the early evening, midevening and late evening. Occasionally, early afternoon, early mid-afternoon, or perhaps the late-midafternoon. Oh, sometimes the early-mid-late-early morning. . . But never at dusk! Never at dusk, I would never do that.

Original Mike said...

"Therefore it is not necessary, on average, for couples to aim to engage in sex as frequently as possible."

Noted.

n said...

Okay, we all know this study is totally flawed. Social Scientists, have at it, please.

n said...

Lies. Damn Lies. And research.

n said...

Meade, Very Naughty.

Michael K said...

Did they measure both sexes individually ? If so, that is a mini aggression

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Research on happiness plays a large role in current behavioral economics research. There have been a few good Econtalk episodes discussing some of that research (and happiness studies in general--host Russ Roberts is skeptical).

Two good ones:

Stevenson & Wolfers (the first 3/4, the last is a different topic)

Richard Epstein on Happiness Epstein is always great.

MacMacConnell said...

Amy Muise is an attractive woman, but I disagree with her findings.

MikeD said...

Who Cares! Cis Male/Cis Female, in a loving relationship, will always, ALWAYS, find the correct frequency! As Meade so admirably posted. BTW, miss "pupparooza(sp?)".Glad to see neighbors Lab is back in the sunshine of casa Althouse/Meade.

Sebastian said...

As America's greatest expert on the subject would say, depends on what the meaning of "necessary" is. And of "sex."

Anonymous said...

I rue the day sex became another check box to tick off on the Wellness Curriculum.

Michael said...

I laughed when I read the headline and immediately, before an hit the link, thought of NPR as the only place on the planet to use the phrase "crunch the numbers." And voila! It was NPR.

I haven't heard the phrase used in fifteen years. And I would.

MrCharlie2 said...

"heterosexuals have way too many other things to do than playing with each others hoo-hoo's"

Hmm, heterosexuals of a certain age, anyway.

Coupe: hold old are you, and how old were you?

Known Unknown said...

I'm willing to give the 'as much as possible' test group another try. They'll come around.

JAORE said...

I hope we are not funding the way to maximize the happiness of rapists (i.e. those that engage in PIV sex).

David Begley said...

Oh, Canada!

Guildofcannonballs said...

Fair warning: Anybody that crunches numbers to find an upper limit will find (**%^&^ to their ((^*&^*&%^&5 up their (^*(^*&%)(*& red-*&^*&^%^^&5 and ultrodublymegermaxa on Sundays!

Guildofcannonballs said...

I took the raw data, something that nitwits are unable, frankly, to do.

Then I found, through my objective brilliance and demonstrated genius-level intersectionality private/public versus self-identity/public-persona dialactics (dyanietics influenced natch) and with accredation rivaling those of known associates' foundations Democratic underpinnings circa New Haven and Cambrigge.

The results will shock you. You probably can't comprehend them, hence you should take the word of the intermediaries soon to tell you what it all means.

We are all expecting great things, Dicken's and Coen's and Betamax's intended.

madAsHell said...

To achieve average, I guess I'm going to have to stop fucking.

Bhaaaa....Who am I fucking kidding, once a week sounds like fun.

lgv said...

The law of diminishing marginal utility. The only surprise is that I though it would 1.5 to 2 per week. I couldn't find the male/female breakdown. That could be quite different.


damikesc said...

Did they measure both sexes individually ? If so, that is a mini aggression

Did they ask them separately? Because my answer might change based on that.

traditionalguy said...

Happiness is the weasel word. Romance that creates a cherished moment with a beloved other is the Happiness creator. Sex as mutual mastubation is not nearly as satisfying.

Derp said...

By the way, they were talking about romantic and relationship satisfaction as best they could elicit it through questions.

From the actual study, which was a review of three studies, discussion:

Consistent with this possibility, one study found that happiness was positively associated with one’s own frequency but was negatively associated with the actual sexual frequency of one’s peers (Wadsworth, 2014). It is not clear from this work, however, if people are aware of the average sexual frequency and feel better if they believe they are at or above this frequency. It is also possible that the point at which sex is no longer associated with greater well-being differs based on demographic factors or individual differences, such as a person’s ideal sexual frequency. Although the curvilinear effect was not moderated by age, gender, or relationship length in the current studies, it is possible that the point at which there is no longer an association between sexual frequency and well-being could differ based on these factors.

I learned long ago in the climate debate that the source study is almost always more measured than the reporting, and sometimes flat out contradicts it.

But I think they are onto something. They had a funny quote in there from John Updike who said "Sex is like money, only too much is enough."

PackerBronco said...

"I find the word "necessary" funny."

It's not funny for members of the Church of the Holy Orgasm.

mikee said...

Sure, once a week is enough to max the satisfaction in the relationship, but more than that is MORE SEX.

This study should be filed next to the one that found impoverished rural girls used as sex workers in third world urban centers were not happy with their jobs.