Sex life has deteriorated for many couples around the globe during the pandemic. A British researcher is investigating what influence the Corona crisis has had on love life.
A few scientists have already dealt with the fact that the fear of infection or the lockdowns have influenced love life. Christopher Woodhouse of University College London has now analyzed data from various surveys from around the world to find out how the pandemic has affected sex life. The results were published in the journal “Trends in Urology
The scientist evaluated data such as frequency, duration, foreplay and potency, but more subjective aspects also played a role in the evaluation, such as libido or enjoyment of sex.
Sex life has deteriorated for couples worldwide during the pandemic
The result: For most couples, there has been a lull in bed during the pandemic – especially during lockdowns. Not only has frequency deteriorated, but libido has suffered from the pandemic and couples have found sex less enjoyable. However, this depends on many factors and the results may vary from country to country, the researcher writes. In Turkey, for example, people had more sexual intercourse, but the quality has gone down.
Porn consumption, on the other hand, increased during the Corona crisis. Pornhub, one of the largest online providers of pornography, reported an eleven percent increase in global traffic in February and March 2020. When the site became free to use in many countries, the increase was as much as 24 percent. Internet porn can be addictive. Doctors had warned that the isolation and home office in the Corona crisis would exacerbate the addiction problem. Young men in particular are affected by porn addiction.
According to the study, online sex has also increased. This affects both permanent partnerships and services for sex workers. A possible explanation: Because of the possible risk of infection, people in several countries have avoided casual partners.
What is not surprising is the result of one of the analyzed studies: Those who had regular sex in lockdown felt more comfortable than those who had a lull in bed. In the cohort study with 7,000 participants, two thirds of the respondents did not have regular sexual intercourse during the lockdown.
rise in sexual violence
Another finding of the research: Sexual violence and emotional abuse have increased. In a BKA study on violence in partnerships 2020, 3389 people are assumed to have suffered sexual assault, sexual assault and rape.
Sources: Study in Trends in Urology
