Men initiate sex more than women; sex happens more when women initiate - science

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Men initiate sex more than three times as often as women do in a long-term, heterosexual relationship. However, previous research shows that sex happens far more often whenever the woman takes the initiative, suggesting that it is the woman who thus sets the limits to a greater extent than men do.

Psychologists at NTNU have investigated what other factors play a role for frequency of intercourse in couples in long-term relationships.

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Only the passion in the relationship can help predict the frequency of sex. "Passion is actually the only one of these factors that matters. We didn't find any association between any of the other aspects and how often people have sex in couple relationships," says Grøntvedt. The study included 92 couples aged 19 to 30. Relationships varied in length from one month to nine years, with an average of just under two years. The couples had sex two to three times a week on average.

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The longer the relationship had lasted, the less often the couples had sex. And one other factor in particular reduces the frequency. "Love is a commitment mechanism, and there is less passion and desire in a relationship if a partner is more interested in others," says Kennair. "Strong sexual fantasies about others than the partner don't mix well with passion in the relationship," says Associate Professor Mons Bendixen, also at the Department of Psychology.

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