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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Secure relationship bad for women's sex drive |
| 2007-12-31 |
| A woman's sex drive begins to plummet once she is in a secure relationship, according to research. Researchers from Germany found that four years into a relationship, less than half of 30-year-old women wanted regular sex. Conversely, the team found a man's libido remained the same regardless of how long he had been in a relationship. Writing in the journal Human Nature, the scientists said the differences resulted from how humans had evolved. The researchers from Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital interviewed 530 men and women about their relationships. They found 60% of 30-year-old women wanted sex "often" at the beginning of a relationship, but within four years of the relationship this figure fell to under 50%, and after 20 years it dropped to about 20%. In contrast, they found the proportion of men wanting regular sex remained at between 60-80%, regardless of how long they had been in a relationship. The study also revealed tenderness was important for women in a relationship. About 90% of women wanted tenderness, regardless of how long they had been in a relationship, but only 25% of men who had been in a relationship for 10 years said they were still seeking tenderness from their partner. Dr Dietrich Klusmann, lead author of the study and a psychologist from Hamburg-Eppendorf University Hospital, believed the differences were down to human evolution. He said: "For men, a good reason their sexual motivation to remain constant would be to guard against being cuckolded by another male." But women, he said, have evolved to have a high sex drive when they are initially in a relationship in order to form a "pair bond" with their partner. But, once this bond is sealed a woman's sexual appetite declines, he added. He said animal behaviour studies suggest this could be because females may be diverting their sexual interest towards other men, in order to secure the best combinations of genetic material for their offspring. Or, he said, this could be because limiting sex may boost their partner's interest in it. Professor George Fieldman, an evolutionary psychologist from Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College, said: "These findings seem to fit in with anecdotal studies and his explanations seem plausible. "The rational for why a woman's sex drive declines may be down to supply and demand. If something is in infinite supply, the perceived value would drop." |
| Posted by:john frum |
| #5 That may be mythical. I imagine if Helmut even suggests an open marriage, Helga hits him over the head with a cast iron skillet, as much as if they were people anywhere else. Or, when he proposes a threesome, she says, "Fine, who is the other guy?" That shuts hubby up in a hurry. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-12-31 18:00 |
| #4 This is Germany... and German men. And both women and men expect husbands to have affairs while their wives wait at home for the repairman to show up. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-12-31 16:37 |
| #3 I liken it to "biological imperatives". Males have one, to spread their DNA around. Females have two: to get the best male DNA for their offspring; and to bond with the best provider male to help them raise their offspring. However, when there is an abundance of males, these are usually not the same guy. This is why people evolved that concept of marriage. It raises the relationship to a better than biological level for all concerned. The female promises the male that the offspring will be his. The male promises exclusivity to the female and nurturing to her offspring. And it is far better for the offspring to have two parents. But marriage only works when it is an enforced contract. Since society itself no longer enforces it, the courts have stepped in to replicate its advantages--on behalf of the offspring. It has yet to replicate all the advantages to both females and males that exist in marriage, but I suspect it will develop in that same direction. DNA testing definitely changes the equation. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-12-31 15:40 |
| #2 Best way to spoil a perfectly good romance: Get married. People can hide stuff for years even sometimes and the instant the ring goes on the facade comes off. |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-12-31 15:18 |
| #1 This needed to be researched? |
| Posted by: Raj 2007-12-31 15:13 |