The science of sex and happiness

The latest study about sex and happiness was designed by Professor George Loewenstein who teaches psychology at Carnegie Mellon and firmly believes that married couples are happier when they have more sex.

But he had never tested whether the sex itself was the reason. So Professor Loewenstein found 64 married couples and paid them to carefully document how many times they had sex and how happy they were.

And then he randomly assigned half of the couples some homework &#8212 which was to double the number of times they had sex for a three-month period.

And to his surprise, the happiness level among the couples making twice as much love was actually slightly lower than the couples who just did what they’d been doing.

The problem with the study is probably that sex just isn’t as much fun when you’re doing it because a professor told you to &#8212 although that might be a line worth trying.

But the other problem is that sex is the kind of homework where a lot depends on how you approach it. Some people will make an effort &#8212 candles, wine, and twin bathtubs on the beach? But some people are lazy. They’ll just set the homework timer &#8212 “OK, get over here…”

Which is why I think that maybe it’s time just to stop happiness studies. Not just the ones about sex, but especially those studies that keep finding Denmark is the happiest country in the world. We can’t all move to Denmark. And if you already live in Denmark, it’s like being told “Hey &#8212 this is as good as it gets.” Either way you’re unhappier than before you read the study.

In fact, it seems to me that nothing makes people unhappier than trying to be happy.