Scientists say they have discovered the perfect amount of sex for happiness. And couples don’t have to go at it like rabbits to find their bliss zone, new research shows.

It turns out that for most people, having a super-heated sex life doesn’t move the happy needle any higher than moderate sexual activity.1

Couples who make love once a week report the highest happiness levels. The journal Social Psychological and Personality Science published the findings.

The conclusion is based on three studies involving more than 30,000 people. Canadian researchers set out to determine how sexual frequency affects well-being.

The study’s lead author suggests that once-a-week sex allows a person to “maintain a connection with their partner.” More sex isn’t associated with greater well-being or a better partner relationship.

“It is likely that weekly sex is enough for the average couple to maintain their intimate connection and to feel like they have an active sex life,” said lead author Amy Muise, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Mississauga.

There was no difference in the findings based on gender, age, or length of relationship. However, the dynamics are different for single people not in an exclusive relationship. There was no correlation between the amount of sex and happiness for singles.

Other researchers have found that having regular sex improves overall health in a myriad of ways:

• Sex helps keep your immune system humming, contributing to higher levels of immunoglobulin, which is your body’s first line of defense against germs and viruses.2

• Sex has been linked to lower blood pressure, particularly your systolic pressure (the upper number on your blood pressure reading), which is associated with stroke risk. Sex also promotes a generally healthier heart.3,4

• Sexual activity improves the pelvic floor muscles, which improves bladder control and avoids incontinence, a condition that will affect about 30% of women during their lives.5

• Regular sex helps men ward off prostate cancer.6

If some sex is good, why isn’t more better? Researchers say it may be that frequency undermines quality. This leads to diminished happiness. When it comes to sex, quality is better than quantity.

In Good Health,

Angela Salerno
Publisher, INH Health Watch

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References:
1http://consumer.healthday.com/mental-health-information-25/behavior-health-news-56/once-a-week-sex-makes-for-happy-couples-705338.html
2http://www.whyarewewhispering.com/blogs/love_your_body_files/new_research_suggests_sex_boosts_immune_function.html
3http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7503048
4http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/sex-and-health
5http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/sex-and-health
6http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/guide/sex-and-health?page=2