This Is How Often Couples Really Need To Have Sex, Scientists Say

Many relationship experts seem to suggest we should be having sex daily - or more, if possible.

But scientists say that in terms of being happy, you don’t actually need to do it that often.

In terms of being happy, you really only need to manage once a week - any more than that makes little difference.

Amy Muise of the University of Toronto Missisauga said, ‘I do think couples can end up feeling pressure to try to engage in sex as frequently as possible.

‘Once a week is maybe a more realistic goal to set than thinking you have to have sex everyday and that feels overwhelming and you avoid it.’

Researchers from the University of Toronto Mississauga found that having sex around once a week is the ‘sweet spot’ for happiness.

Any more than that doesn’t really have any effect on people, based on data from 25,510 Americans aged 18 to 89.

‘This showed a linear association between sex and happiness up to a frequency of once a week, but at higher frequencies there is no longer an association,’ said Amy Muise of the University of Toronto Mississauga.

‘Therefore it is not necessary, on average, for couples to aim to engage in sex as frequently as possible.’

The study was based on two large-scale surveys from 1996 and 1998, with a further study group of 355 adults from this year.