Kate writes for The Atlantic…….”Over the course of many conversations with sex researchers, psychologists, economists, sociologists, therapists, sex educators, and young adults, I heard many other theories about what I have come to think of as the sex recession. I was told it might be a consequence of the hookup culture, of crushing economic pressures, of surging anxiety rates, of psychological frailty, of widespread antidepressant use, of streaming television, of environmental estrogens leaked by plastics, of dropping testosterone levels, of digital porn, of the vibrator’s golden age, of dating apps, of option paralysis, of helicopter parents, of careerism, of smartphones, of the news cycle, of information overload generally, of sleep deprivation, of obesity. Name a modern blight, and someone, somewhere, is ready to blame it for messing with the modern libido.
The retreat from sex is not an exclusively American phenomenon. Most countries don’t track their citizens’ sex lives closely, but those that try (all of them wealthy) are reporting their own sex delays and declines. One of the most respected sex studies in the world, Britain’s National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, reported in 2001 that people ages 16 to 44 were having sex more than six times a month on average. By 2012, the rate had dropped to fewer than five times. Over roughly the same period, Australians in relationships went from having sex about 1.8 times a week to 1.4 times. Finland’s “Finsex” study found declines in intercourse frequency, along with rising rates of masturbation.”
The Gaurdian adds “What might people be doing instead of having sex? I mean, I can think of one thing … Yes, people do a lot of that. Since the 90s, in the US, the proportion of men who masturbated in a given week has doubled to 54% and women to 26%.
I blame vibrator technology and online porn. Perhaps. There is little evidence that it is addictive, but, as one researcher put it, it might be “taking the edge off” people’s libido.”
Do say: “Perhaps we need a central bank to stimulate the sexual economy.”
Don’t say: “Lowering the price of alcohol ought to do it.”
Read full article below
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/