How often couples should have sex, according to science

Whether you and your partner are having loads of sex or are doing it sparingly, it’s natural to wonder if other couples are getting down more — or less — than you are. Or, if things have cooled off in your relationship a bit, you may wonder if that’s normal or if you should be jumping your partner’s bones even when you’re not in the mood. It all comes down to the same question: How much sex should I be having?

A new study conducted at Dalhousie University in Canada attempted to answer that question, asking couples many questions about their relationship, sex and generally how happy they were overall. The researchers found that couples who had sex tended to be happier than couples who didn’t, but the level of happiness plateaued at once a week. In other words: couples who had sex five times a week were not happier than couples who had sex once a week. But couples who had sex once a week or more were happier than couples who did not have sex at least once a week.

Of course it’s important to keep in mind that a myriad of things can factor into how often you are having sex, including outside stressors beyond your control. But getting things back on track with a weekly tryst may help whatever is causing the dry spell — at least, according to science.

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