Dr. Viviana discusses the idea that people are having less sex today with KTRH 740AM.
People Are Having Less Sex Today
Odd that someone is keeping track, but Americans are having less sex.
It’s the 2021 General Social Survey that keeps track of what Americans think and feel about a variety of issues and topics, and also asks how frequently they’ve had sex.
26% say they didn’t have sex last year, and that’s only a slight uptick from the 23% who said the same thing in 2018, and in 2016. Before 2004, the number wasn’t over 20%, but evidently there has been a shift. People aren’t having sex as often.
Houston therapist Dr. Viviana Coles, author of The 4 Intimacy Styles, delicately points out that sex doesn’t always include two people. “Individuals are able to be a lot more self-sufficient, and that includes in a sexual way,” she says.
Or maybe it’s because of the advent of social media platforms like Facebook that came along around 2004. Dr. Coles says access to the internet and other people digitally is checking off some boxes as if they are having in-person relationships. “We’re able to look around and connect with others even without being together,” she says.
That may be something the General Social Survey is going to have to ask you more about in the future.
Maybe there’s a reason they’re taking matters into their own hands. In 1986, 20% of people said they didn’t have a partner in a relationship. That number has jumped up to 30%. The number of unmarried men living alone is up 10% and women up 7%.
If you have any further questions about this topic or to schedule a session with one of our clinicians, please CONTACT US.
Never miss a new blog post! Sign-up for our NEWSLETTER on our homepage.
