A large, new study on sexual satisfaction has found that happy long-term couples share these certain habits: frequently having orgasms and sex, communicating, working to set the mood, and practicing sexual variety and oral sex. The study also found that the men and women who said they were sexually satisfied were happier in their relationship.
Researchers also found some interesting gender differences: For men, the strongest predictors of satisfaction, in order, are mood setting, sexual variety and communication. For women, they are how frequently they have orgasms, mood setting and communication.
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Frequency of sex
According to the researchers, people who are satisfied with their sex life are having sex with their partner much more often than those who are dissatisfied. 79% of men and 81% of women who were satisfied said they have sex one or more times per week.
It’s hard to say which came first, though. Couples who are more satisfied may be driven to have sex more often, which gives them more satisfaction and leads to more frequency.
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Communication
The researchers found five different types of communication that are important to sexual satisfaction. The more of these communication strategies a couple uses, the more sexually satisfied they are. In order of importance, both satisfied men and women say they praise their partner for something they did in bed; are asked by their partner for something they want; ask for something they want from their partner; talk on the phone or email with their partner during the day to tease about something they want; ask for feedback on how something felt.
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Types of mood setting
The study also highlighted five types of mood setting that are more common among satisfied men and women. The most important, by far, is that they say “I love you.” The other ways that satisfied couples set the mood, in order of importance, are: They engage in “sexy talk.” They laugh about something funny that happened during sex. They light candles or dim the lights. They play background music.
Sex acts
The top-five acts that lead to a satisfying sex life are the same for men and women, the study found. They both say that trying a new sexual position is what makes them happiest. After that, women say they are most satisfied by taking a shower or bath with their partner, getting or giving a massage, incorporating sexy lingerie into their sex life, and talking about or acting out fantasies. For men, the order was slightly different. They were most satisfied, in order, by incorporating lingerie, taking a shower or bath, talking about or acting out fantasies and getting or giving a massage.
Curated article from:
Wall Street Journal
