Why, when we’re living in a time where sex is discussed more openly than ever, are we having less sex?
A study by the National Opinion Research Council at the University of Chicago found that the number of people who are having sex at least weekly fell from 45% in 2000 to 36% in 2016. It also found that millennials are nearly twice as likely to be sexually inactive in their early 20s than Gen Xers (around 20% of 18–29-year-olds said they had no sex at all in 2016).
So what’s the deal? Here’s why we’re having trouble.
We’re exhausted.
As technology advances, our worlds are moving faster and we’re busier in general. Add to that the fact that one-third of us aren’t getting enough sleep and it’s easy to see why our sex lives are suffering.
We’re not communicating.
Many people don’t feel comfortable talking with their partner about sex—whether it’s initiating it in general or expressing their wants, needs and desires. As a result, they're not having as much sex.
We’re getting married later.
It might be stating the obvious, but you’re more likely to have sex more frequently if you are living with a partner. But these days we’re getting married later in life and are less likely to be cohabitating with a significant other, meaning the opportunities for sex are fewer. And for a lot of people, casual sex isn’t appealing.
We’ve found other ways to entertain ourselves.
Social media, Netflix bingeing—we now have plenty of other things that produce the same endorphins that make us feel good when we have sex. Technology in the bedroom is a huge mood killer—in fact, owning a TV has been proven to reduce average sexual frequency.
Read more about why we’re having less sex.
