Over the last decade, young adults are having less and less sex. Researchers are trying to figure out why.
Human sexual activity affects cognitive function, health, happiness and overall quality of life—and, yes, there is also the matter of reproduction. The huge range of benefits is one reason researchers have become alarmed at declines in sexual activity around the world, from Japan to Europe to Australia. A recent study evaluating what is happening in the U.S.
HERBENICK: Our study tracks the declines, too, and extends the research because Jane [Fu] and our larger team tracked sex behaviors in really detailed ways. We looked at penile-vaginal sex, partnered masturbation, and giving and receiving oral sex. And we saw declines across all categories. And we included adolescents, too. The decline in adolescent masturbation is interesting, and we were the first to include it. That one deserves a lot more attention.FU: We need more studies to tell us why.
HERBENICK: Especially for those 18 to 29 years old, there have been increases in what many people call rough sex behaviors. Limited research suggests that an earlier idea of this was what I would consider fairly vanilla rough sex: pulling hair, a little light spanking. What we see now in studies of thousands of randomly sampled college students is choking or strangling during sex. The behavior seems to be a majority behavior for college-age students.
In the report, you note that there are probably multiple reasons that people’s sexual expression has changed. FU: For parents, it would be great to have open conversations with their children, especially teens, about sex. Sex in recent years looks very different, whether it’s the emergence of technologies or of new sexual behaviors. We hope that parents can play an active role in guiding their children, not just to warn them of the risk of various sexual behaviors but also to educate them on how to have meaningful relationships and eventually satisfying and pleasurable sex.
HERBENICK: Sexuality is such an important part of life, and understanding changes that occur matters to how we understand what is shifting about the human experience. We know that sexual activity can help people to relax, fall asleep, reduce stress, feel intimate and connected and thereby improve their relationships—and may even help to boost their immune system. And sex can also just be fun, pleasurable and joyful—a way to express oneself in vulnerable ways.
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