Valentine’s Day is on the horizon and couples are preparing to celebrate their love for each other in a variety of different ways. From romantic meals and cute date-night activities to getting hot and heavy in the bedroom, every couple will likely celebrate this day differently.
New research from sexual wellness brand www.lovehoney.com found that even though Valentine’s Day is supposed to be the most romantic day of the year, it’s only the third most popular celebration for couples to have sex. Almost a third of survey respondents said they celebrate Valentine’s Day by getting down and dirty with their partner, and as many as 39% of respondents said sex isn’t something they do to celebrate this occasion.
However, Valentine’s Day has been named the top occasion where people celebrate by trying new things in the bedroom, with 64% of respondents saying their Valentine’s sex is more adventurous than normal.
*The below table shows the top five celebrations that inspire sex the most based on Lovehoney’s survey
|
Celebration |
% of people that said that celebration inspires them to have sex |
|
Your birthday |
64% |
|
Partner’s birthday |
63% |
|
Valentine’s Day |
61% |
|
New Year’s Eve |
54% |
|
Christmas Day |
37% |
To get some more understanding of why we might be lusting after our partner more during the Valentine’s Day celebrations, Lovehoney spoke to Dr Justin Lehmiller (PhD), psychologist and research fellow at The Kinsey Institute, to get his thoughts…
Q. What is the reasoning behind why people may feel more inspired to have sex during Valentine’s Day?
A. “Social psychologists have long known that strong emotions can sometimes be mistaken for sexual arousal – or can have the effect of amplifying sexual arousal. So if you’re in the midst of an exciting celebration where your body is in a heightened state of generalized physiological arousal (e.g., your heart rate is up), and this is coupled with cues for sexual arousal (e.g. you meet an attractive new person), this ups the odds of being in the mood for sex. On top of this, people often consume alcohol when they’re celebrating, and in small to moderate doses alcohol can act as an aphrodisiac because it lowers sexual inhibitions.”
View the full research here
