Sex is one of the most natural things and is one of the basic needs of a human being. At least that is the theory, but not everyone feels the urge to have sex as much or as often. This can become a problem, especially in relationships.
In their 2021 study, "Navigating Women's Low Desire: Sexual Growth and Destiny Beliefs and Couples' Well-Being," Stephanie Raposo, Natalie O. Rosen, Serena Corsini-Munt and other researchers examined the impact of sexual desire and the beliefs behind it on couples' well-being.
To do this, the researchers conducted a longitudinal study of 97 couples who were in a committed relationship and in which the female partner reported low desire for sex. 77% were heterosexual, while the rest had different sexual orientations. The study included an analysis of the level of sexual desire, frequency of sex, rate of conflict, and partner satisfaction within the relationship. Another important variable was the partners' beliefs and convictions about how their sex life was going. The goal was to find out which, if any, of these items influenced the relationship partners' sex lives.
The researchers found that some, but not all, partners believed that a successful sex life was already predetermined for a couple. They concluded that it is important to work on one's own sex life. This can be done in a variety of ways, such as asking about each other's sexual preferences, exercises to promote emotional and sexual intimacy, or changing the environment. It was found that couples who felt that a successful sex life required effort and work were generally more satisfied with it.
Following the study, some of the female participants reported that their sex lives had improved significantly, which also suggests that a nudge to reflect on one's own sexual satisfaction or dissatisfaction can make a difference. It can be summarized that there is no harm in reflecting on one's sex life and viewing any problems as something that can be fixed. It can encourage informing, reading, communicating and trying things out, which in turn can make one's sex life blossom and increase sexual desire.
Citation
- Stephanie Raposo, Natalie O. Rosen, Serena Corsini-Munt, Jessica A. Maxwell & Amy Muise (2021): Navigating Women’s Low Desire: Sexual Growth and Destiny Beliefs and Couples’ Well-Being, The Journal of Sex Research, DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2021.1884179.