Does Sex Really Get Better With Age?
The answer may surprise you
It goes without saying that most people don’t like to think about their parents or grandparents having sex. However, chances are, our perceptions of their actual sex lives are completely skewed. While it may make you feel better to think your older family members only had sex once for every child they have, some of the things people may believe about sex and aging are more than a little unrealistic.
According to the 270 people aged 18 to 35 surveyed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, sex as we age is just a disaster waiting to happen. In fact, the results, which were published in Leisure Sciences, showed that 25 percent believe having sex after a certain age will likely lead to a heart attack. Additionally, many survey respondents admit they think losing all interest in sex is just a natural, unavoidable part of getting older — and would even refuse to place their aging relatives into a nursing home that supported sexual activity among its residents.
While this sounds a bit ageist, the root of respondents’ beliefs may actually be fear of what their own future holds.
“There’s some research suggesting that young adults tend to have these ageist attitudes toward sexuality because of their own fears of aging and mortality,” said…
