Couples having LESS sex... for fear it'll be a let down: Internet, movies and books putting couples under pressure
- Many find the steamy antics within Fifty Shades of Grey too intimidating
- Feel so ‘bombarded’ with how sex ‘ought to be' they feel under pressure
- Some are so put off that they avoid sex altogether - Relate study found
- Research found half of couples questioned hadn't slept together in a month
If you’re looking to spice up your sex life, these days you are rather spoiled for choice.
But it seems the avalanche of information available in magazines, movies, books and the internet is turning out to be a turn off.
Couples are now so ‘bombarded’ with messages about how sex ‘ought to be’ that they feel under pressure and avoid it altogether.
Scroll down for video
Many find the steamy antics in Fifty Shades of Grey (pictured) more intimidating than inspiring, a survey for Relate, the relationship charity, found
Many find the steamy antics in Fifty Shades of Grey more intimidating than inspiring, a survey for Relate, the relationship charity, found.
In the study of 6,000 British adults by YouGov, just 45 per cent said they were ‘fairly satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their sex life, while 51 per cent said they had not had sex in the past month. The best-selling Fifty Shades novels may have brought erotica into the mainstream but many men and women have been left feeling inadequate and failing to notice what is actually good about their sex lives.
Relate, which provided more than 20,000 sessions of sex therapy in 2013/14, said couples often say they want to bring the spontaneity back to their love lives.
But its counsellors point out that sex is rarely truly spontaneous and busy people sometimes have to plan for intimacy.
‘It’s sad that so few people are sexually satisfied and put pressure on themselves to perform,’ said Cate Campbell, a psychosexual therapist and Relate Institute lecturer.
‘Noticing what is going well, rather than dwelling on problems, is quite difficult when we’re all bombarded with messages about how sex “ought” to be.
Research by charity Relate found that half of couples questioned hadn't slept together in a month
‘Sex definitely doesn’t have to be disappointing – there’s plenty that can turn your situation around so you can enjoy a sustained, fulfilling sex life. What constitutes a satisfying sex life can vary wildly from one person to the next, so working out what makes you tick is a great starting point.
‘People may feel concerned if they haven’t had sex in the past month but there are plenty of other ways to be sexy.’
Previous research by Relate suggests a lack of intimacy in many relationships, with nearly a fifth of people saying they never or rarely felt loved in the two weeks before they were questioned.
Denise Knowles, a Relate sex therapist, said it was clear that ‘things aren’t as good as they could be for many’.
She said although people found it difficult to talk about sex with their partner, it could be the key to improving what is an important aspect of their life together.
‘This can have an impact on our relationships and the way we feel about ourselves,’ she said.
‘The first step in improving sex for most people is to start talking honestly about what you want from your sex life, and, crucially, listening to your partner’s wishes as well.’
- MTV star Chanel West Coast arrested for fight at LA hotspot
- Kelly Osbourne backpedals after off-colored comment on Trump
- Shocking moment Northern California cop pulls gun on man
- Harrowing moment police officer shot dead unarmed black man
- Two men took who synthetic marijuana turned dangerous
- Alleged road rage attackers run over man with his own car
- Kansas town mourns bat boy with 'infectious spirit'
- Mass Brooklyn Bridge road rage brawl stops traffic
- Family Jack Russell Terrier teaches baby how to crawl
- Alaskan woman attacked by bear while jogging with colleague
- Road rage brawl erupts between Uber driver and passenger
- Life jacket found in Georgia could belong to missing teen
- National Enquirer runs DEATHBED photo of Bobbi Kristina in a...
- ISIS executes 19 girls for refusing to have sex with...
- 'I've been on TV for 17 seasons': MTV's Ridiculousness star...
- Tom Brady's diva demands: How millionaire quarterback moaned...
- Pictured: Brave jogger, 20, who fought off a bear with...
- PICTURED: Mad Max cinema gunman, 29, who attacked audience...
- EXCLUSIVE: Dentist who killed Cecil the lion hires armed...
- The nightmare aftermath of Hiroshima: Parents carry burned...
- Drugged, tied up and locked up for six months: Inside...
- EXCLUSIVE: Joe Jackson, 87, suffered stroke after 'taking...
- EXCLUSIVE: Wracked with guilt over Bobbi Kristina's death,...
- Hungry pet shocks its owner by copying baby and saying...