You’d think after doing it for millennia, we humans might have sex figured out. Far from it. Researchers are constantly coming up with new discoveries that teach us more about the many surprising ways sex plays out in our lives and how it affects us.
Spirituality is Sexy
Spirituality has a greater effect on the sex lives of young adults — especially women — than religion, impulsivity, or alcohol. A research measure known as the Spiritual Transcendence Scale considers connectedness, universality, and prayer fulfillment. The study found that of the three, connectedness plays the largest role in spiritual sexuality and leads to more sex with more partners, often without the use of condoms.
Sex Smells
A man’s sweat smells different when he’s sexually aroused — and women can tell the difference between the smell of sexual sweat and the regular stuff, according to a study in The Journal of Neuroscience.
The G-Spot May Not Exist
The infamous G-spot is said to be the prime erogenous zone of the female body, a bean-sized area in the vagina that can bring ultimate pleasure — at least to some — when properly, well, anyway … a new study reported today finds the G-spot is imaginary, or at least its existence is very subjective.
Penis Extenders Might Work
According to a study from the University of Turin, penis extenders might work — a particular brand that used traction to gradually stretch the penis over time was found to increase flaccid members’ length by almost one inch.
Sex and Happiness Go Together
Women who are sexually satisfied are happier, regardless of age. It’s not yet known if sex makes them happy or if happy women tend to have more sex. But Susan Davis of the Women’s Health Program at Monash University, Australia, suggests lack of libido could certainly affect a woman’s self-esteem as well as her relationship. “They just don’t feel as good about themselves.”
Pleasure Can Hurt
Men who are very sexually active in their 20s and 30s — especially those who masturbate frequently — are at higher risk for prostate cancer, said researchers at the University of Nottingham. But that risk decreases as a man ages, and once he’s in his 50s, even small levels of sexual activity can help protect him from the disease.
Why Women Wait
According to research published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology, women who hold out on sex are acting on a biological impulse to find more suitable providers — and men are waiting to prove that they’re up to the challenge.
Guilt Is Gender-Dependent
Men feel guiltier following sexual infidelity, while women feel worse after an emotional transgression–and both are incredibly self-involved. “If an individual assumes that everyone, regardless of their sex, is most concerned with the same form of infidelity that they themselves are most concerned about, this person would consequently make false inferences leading to feelings of guilt,” said researcher Maryanne Fisher, a professor at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada.
Men Outlive Women Sexually
Men have shorter life spans than women on average, but when it comes to sexual life expectancy, the guys have the advantage. At age 55, men have an average of 15 years of sexual activity ahead of them, while women average just 10, according to a new survey of middle-age and older Americans.
Sex Is Ageless, for Some
More than three-fourths of senior citizens are having sex, contrary to what they probably expected would be the case when they were younger. A separate study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2007 found that more than half of 75- to 85-year-olds reported having sex at least twice a month.
