Both men and women yearn for meeting their soul mate to make a happy couple with a mutual understanding and deep care for each other. Unfortunately, according statistics, ideal relationships are rather hard to attain. The divorce rate among couples in the US seems to be on an upward and persistent trajectory. Currently, 40-50% of all marriages in the US end up in divorce.
Additionally, people are also opting to stay out of marriages more often nowadays. In 1960, 72% of the adults in the US were in a marriage. In 2000, that number declined to only 57%, and in 2014, it fell to below 50%.
These statistics show that people are now backing away from marriages even though a marriage is the pinnacle of a successful relationship. The question is why they are doing so. Could it be that relationships are no longer as fulfilling as they used to be in the past? Is it about sex? Well, here is an interesting study on sex and relationships that might help couples when it comes to rekindling their flame.
The details of the study
Frederick David, a psychology professor at Chapman University, was the lead researcher. The study looked at the lives of 38,747 people who were either cohabiting or married. The team of researchers focused on couples who had lived together for 3 years or more. The first part of the survey concentrated on the level of sexual satisfaction the participants felt during the first six months of dating. Then the researchers compared those feelings to the ones the couples felt at the time of the study.
The study revealed that 83% of the participants, both men and women, felt satisfied during the first six months of dating. However, only 43% of the men and 55% of the women felt sexually satisfied at the time of the study. The dissatisfaction rates among the men and women at the time of the study stood at 41% and 27% respectively. The rest felt that nothing had changed in terms of their sexual satisfaction.
The study clearly shows that the rate of sexual satisfaction drops once couples become comfortable in their relationship. Researchers believe that in most cases this dissatisfaction comes as a result of monotony in the intimate relationship of a couple. Such dissatisfaction may lead to things such as stress, infidelity, anxiety, mistrust, and infidelity. These kinds of negativity often lead to breakups or divorce.
The study also found some things that you should try in your relationship. For example, couples that said ‘I love you’ often to their partners reported greater sexual satisfaction than those who did not. Kissing, cuddling, and laughing were also a feature of couples with great sexual satisfaction. Finally, couples who practiced oral sex, tried new sex positions, engaged in fantasies and sexual role playing also reported being happier in their relationship than those who stuck to conventional sex routine.
