Couples should discuss whether their sexual needs are being met, rather than simply press for more sex. Photo / iStock
Couples should discuss whether their sexual needs are being met, rather than simply press for more sex. Photo / iStock
How much sex is enough? Just once a week is all it takes for optimal happiness among married heterosexual couples and those in long-term relationships, according to a US study.
The findings are based on surveys of more than 30,000 Americans collected over four decades, and were published in thejournal Social Psychological and Personality Science on Thursday.
"Although more frequent sex is associated with greater happiness, this link was no longer significant at a frequency of more than once a week," said lead researcher Amy Muise, a social psychologist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto-Mississauga.
"Our findings suggest that it's important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner, but you don't need to have sex everyday as long as you're maintaining that connection."
Researchers noted that the study was not designed to show cause-and-effect, so it remains unknown whether happiness leads to weekly sex, or if weekly sex arouses more joy in life.
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Muise said couples should discuss whether their sexual needs are being met, rather than simply press for more sex.
"It's important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner without putting too much pressure on engaging in sex as frequently as possible," she said.
