Historically, sexuality has been surrounded by myths that have been formed from the taboo of many cultures regarding the subject. Due to the lack of information, dissemination and education in this regard, a large part of the population has its first approach to sexuality with explicit content or audiovisual representations that are far from reality. This is how Jorge Espinosa, relationship coach, and Carlos Jaramillo, functional doctor, explain it in the program Educating Conscience.
In fact, according to studies published by organizations such as Save the Children y Office of the Children’s Commissioner, pornography and other explicit content are the main reference on issues of sexuality for young people. Because of this, sexually active youth and adults they can generate erroneous perceptions regarding their own performance and their interpersonal relationships.
Socially, it is believed that couples who have sex more frequently are happier, and the widespread myth has come to impose a reference figure of between 3 and 4 sex a week on society. This is supposed to imply that the relationship is healthy and that there is a mutual attraction between the two people. The reality is that this number depends on many factors, from the physical, mental and health condition of the person, to the time available weekly.
That is The fact of not meeting this or another weekly figure does not imply that the relationship is on the verge of collapse. In fact, the survey of the National Study of Families and Households in the United States (of 2,400 married couples) and the Sociological Study of Citizen Mood conducted by MyWord agree that couples who have sex once a month can be as happy or happier than those who have more sex a week And, according to research published in the investigative journal Social Psychological and Personality Sciencehappiness is not directly proportional to the number of sexual relations that a couple has.
In fact a study conducted by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, quality is more important than quantity in the happiness level of couples. This quality not only refers to performance in the sexual act, but also to the connection that exists between couples.
To recap, the specific number of times a week that a couple should have sex depends on each situation. The important thing is to understand that the fact that the sexual experience is different from the media representation does not mean that there is something wrong with the relationship or with the performance. Also, for the coach of relations Jorge Espinosa, it is necessary to understand that health directly affects performance and it is totally normal that there are days and times of life when sexual relations are not the priority.
Benefits of maintaining an active sex life
Without neglecting the above, having consensual sexual relations and with all the necessary and appropriate care for each occasion, does bring benefits to people’s health. During sexual intercourse, the body produces large amounts of hormones that promote happiness and well-being. (oxytocin, norepinephrine, serotonin, prolactin, vasopressin, among others). In addition, physical effort is a bonus to activate the body. Therefore, among its benefits are:
- Moments of intimacy between partners can help individuals produce less cortisol, the hormone responsible for stress in the body.
- Reduces the risk of having prostate cancer. According to data from the specialized institute European Urology, men who ejaculate more times a month have up to 33% less risk of having this disease.
- Due to physical exertion, the heart rate increases, helping to strengthen cardiovascular health and regulate blood pressure.
- Having sex at least twice a week can increase the production of salivary immunoglobin A, which can lead to a improvement in the immune system.
