Scientists reveal the secret to an amazing sex life

Scientists say getting a time and date in the diary - and sticking to it - is key to keeping things sparky in the bedroom. Photo / 123RF (stock image)

Forget the romantic throes of passion seen in Hollywood films, or the spontaneous outbursts of lust found in the pages of the latest Fifty Shades of Grey novel – for most people, there's nothing sexier than efficient forward-planning.

According to the latest research, scheduling a time and date in advance (and sticking to it) is the key to keeping the spark alive in the bedroom.

Scientists conducted interviews with almost 1,000 couples to reveal the key to a satisfying sex life is to be 'thorough and dutiful' with your planning, according to the Daily Mail.

Those who schedule it in and make sure they're ready on time are less likely to feel unfulfilled or inhibited during the act, the study found.

Researchers from Ruhr University in Bochum, Germany looked into the sex lives of 964 couples, most of which were heterosexual.

Researchers asked the couples to rate how easily they could be aroused, how inhibited they were, and whether they had any issues around sex.

Participants were also asked to place where they and their partner fell on the Big Five personality framework – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

In the questionnaires, the researchers defined conscientiousness as being efficient and organised, rather than easy-going and spontaneous.

"Conscientious individuals reported better sexual function," researchers wrote in the study, which was published in The Journal of Sex Research.

According to the latest findings, men who rated themselves as conscientiousness were more likely to want to satisfy their partner sexually, which in turn led to "better sexual function of their partners".

"High conscientiousness can be especially beneficial when it comes to putting effort into a satisfying sexual life, or to postpone one's own needs and interests to focus on resolving a sexual problem within the context of committed, long-term relationships," the researchers added.

On the other hand, women "whose partners were sexually inhibited reported lower sexual function," the researchers added.

Ultimately, the key to sexual satisfaction is communication, according to Julia Velten, a post-doctoral fellow in clinical psychology and psychotherapy who spoke to Quartz for an article around the research.

Speaking honestly in a non-judgemental environment about your sexual preferences will improve your sex life.

The fact that the research revealed that conscientiously planning intimate activities in advance resulted in better sex is simply an extension of such communication, Velten believes, since this amps tension and excitement.

"We wanted to know whether certain sexuality-related traits (i.e. traits that reflect how easily people become excited, or how sexually inhibited they are) are more or less relevant to sexual function than more broad, general personality traits (the big five)," said Julia Velten.

"Studies have shown that most of these personality traits and sexuality-related traits are relevant, but it was unknown which factors are the most crucial when taken together."

Contrary to popular belief, the study found no correlation between relationship duration and sexual satisfaction, suggesting sex does not decline with age.

"Many of our older couples were still sexually active and quite satisfied with their sexual lives," added Velton.