Quickie: Want to Improve Your Sex Life? Spend More Time Cuddling
Why sexual satisfaction doesn’t end with orgasm
Obviously, we enjoy the actual act of having sex with our partner, and we definitely enjoy having a happy ending. But according to research in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, what we do after orgasm can also contribute to how sexually satisfied we feel.
“When people think of sex, they tend to be focused on intercourse or orgasm,” said sexuality and relationship researcher Amy Muise. “This research suggests that other affectionate aspects of sex are important for sexual and relationship satisfaction.”
Specifically, Muise looked at the amount of time couples spent kissing, cuddling, and engaging in loving talk after they did the deed. During a 21-day survey of 101 couples, participants were asked to spend more than 15 minutes engaging in these post-sex affectionate behaviors and report on how satisfied they felt with their sex lives and relationships. Muise found that when couples spent extra time after sex being affectionate with each other in these ways, they were more likely to have higher levels of sexual and relationship satisfaction — an effect that lasted even when they participated in a follow-up survey three months later. This was particularly true of parents, who used that post-sex affection to…
