The holidays are all about spending time with loved ones, eating good food, relaxing and having sex, according to Yahoo and new research. Online searches for the word “sex” dramatically increase during the holidays, reaching the peak during the week of Christmas in the U.S., as well as during Eid-al-Fitr celebrations in Muslim countries, a new study finds.
Using Google Trends, researchers found that online interest in sex “peaks sharply” during major, family-oriented cultural and religious celebrations all over the world. And people aren’t just searching for it online more, they’re doing it more too. Study authors note that these spikes in sex-related searches also correspond with birth rate increases nine months later.
So why does interest in sex pick up over the holidays? Experts say there are several reasons:
You’re on vacation – Topping the list is having time off around the holidays. When people get a break from work and feel more relaxed, they’re more inclined to get frisky, sex therapist Laurie Mintz explains. People also travel during the holidays and she says, “we do know that vacations increase sex.” And while doing it under the same roof as their parents may be a turn-off for some, others find it exciting, according to Leah Millheiser, director of the female sexual medicine program at Stanford University Medical Center.
It’s cuffing season – This is the time of year when people like to couple up, even if it’s just temporary, and cuddling not only warms you up when it’s cold out, it boosts your mood, too.
Winter may boost sexual attraction – One study reveals that men find women’s bodies more attractive in the winter than in the summer, possibly because no one’s showing much skin when they’re all bundled up for cold weather.
You’re swept up in nostalgia – Millheiser points out that there’s an “emotional component” to the holidays and those sentimental feelings can make us want to feel more connected to and be more romantic with partners, she calls it the “Hallmark phenomenon.”
Source: Yahoo
