Happiest Senior Citizen Couples Are Having the Most Sex, Study Finds
Almost 80% who had sex more than once a month said they were very happy with their marriage
Nov. 28, 2011 - The
more often older married individuals engage in sexual activity, the more likely they are to be happy with both their lives and marriages,
according to new research presented this month in Boston at
The Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA)
64th Annual Scientific Meeting.
“This study will help open the lines of communication and spark interest in developing ‘outside the box’ approaches to
dealing with resolvable issues that limit or prevent older adults from participating in sexual activity,” said Adrienne Jackson, PT, PhD, MPA,
an assistant professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, who did the study.
“Highlighting the relationship between sex and happiness will help us in developing and organizing specific sexual health
interventions for this growing segment of our population.”
Based on the survey responses of 238 married individuals age 65 years or older, Jackson discovered that frequency of
sexual activity was a significant predictor of both general and marital happiness. The association even remained after accounting for factors
such as age, gender, health status, and satisfaction with financial situation.
Whereas only 40 percent of individuals who reported no sexual activity in the last 12 months said they were very happy
with life in general, almost 60 percent who engaged in sexual activity more than once a month said they were very happy.
Similarly, while about 59 percent of individuals who reported no sexual activity in the last 12 months said they were
very happy with their marriage, almost 80 percent who had sex more than once a month said they were very happy.
To assess frequency of sexual activity, respondents were asked the following question: “About how many times did you have
sex during the last 12 months? By ‘sex’ we mean vaginal, oral, or anal sex.”
To assess general happiness, respondents were asked the following question: “Taken all together, how would you say things
are these days - would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?”
To assess marital happiness, respondents were asked the following question: “Taking things all together, how would you
describe your marriage? Would you say that your marriage is very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?”
This finding in Jackson’s presentation, “Exploring the Relationship Between Frequency of Sexual Activity and Happiness
Among Older Married Americans,” is based on the 2004–2008 General Social Surveys, a public opinion poll conducted on a nationally
representative sample of non-institutionalized English and Spanish-speaking person 18 years of age or older living in the U.S.
GSA’s meeting - the country’s largest interdisciplinary conference in the field of aging - was at the
John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center and
Sheraton Boston Hotel from November 18 to 22. An estimated 3,500 professionals attended and the program schedule contained more than 500
scientific sessions featuring research presented for the first time.
Nov. 28, 2011 - The
more often older married individuals engage in sexual activity, the more likely they are to be happy with both their lives and marriages,
according to new research presented this month in Boston at
The Gerontological Society of America’s (GSA)
64th Annual Scientific Meeting.
