Relationships

We're Having Less Sex Than Ever And The Reason Is Super Depressing, Science Says

by Candice Jalili

Really stressing about your dry spell? Well, worry no longer because it turns out everyone's having them.

A new study published yesterday in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that millennials are having way less sex than the generations before us did when they were our age.

That's right, you heard it here first, folks: YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE GOING THROUGH A DRY SPELL.

The study looked at data collected from over 26,000 Americans, which included information on people's sexual behavior over the years, dating back all the way to 1989.

First off, they found that people either living together or married are having sex 16 fewer times per year from 2010 to 2014 than from 2000 to 2004. And as a whole, Americans had sex nine fewer times a year from 2010 to 2014 than they did in the mid-to-late '90s.

More interestingly, in another study, researchers also found that millennials in particular were having the least amount of sex compared to other generations.

One of the study's lead authors, Jean M. Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University, explained the phenomenon in his book "Generation Me" by tying it back to hook-up culture:

Despite their reputation for hooking up, Millennials and the generation after them (known as iGen or Generation Z) are actually having sex less often than their parents and grandparents did when they were young. That's partially because fewer iGen'ers and Millennials have steady partners.

It makes sense, doesn't it? Even if we might be having sex with more people, the odds of us having more frequent sex would probably be higher if we had one steady partner we could count on to have sex with.

So, unless you have the most reliable fuck buddy of all time, the odds of you having super frequent sex while casually banging some dude from time to time are way lower than they are for someone with a boyfriend she can bang whenever she pleases.

You know, like your mom had when she was your age.

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OK, I feel bad about that mom joke, so I'll give you a little factoid to (hopefully) make you feel better.

Although your mom probably was getting more action back in her day, the study also found that "older and married people are having sex less often — especially after 2000" and that people have less and less sex as they get older.

So DON'T WORRY. Even if you are going through a dry spell, you're probably getting more action than your mom is right now.

Citations: Americans are having sex less often, new study shows (ScienceDaily)