Scientists Have a Hack for Having More Sex in Long-Term Relationships

Sex and desire can decline over time in a long-term relationship, even as you feel closer to the other person.

There is a relatively easy way to get the spark back.

A recent paper in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships examines the concept of closeness, otherness, and self-expansion, as well as the feeling of learning something new about one's partner.

The study found that emotional closeness alone isn't enough to sustain sexual desire in long-term relationships. They found that partners need to reestablish otherness in order to boost desire.

The Canadian researchers found that they could achieve a sense of otherness through self-expansion. There are a number of ways in which couples can make that happen, from visiting new attractions to probing each others often-unshared opinions.

The study's three test subjects were overwhelmingly white and straight, which is reflected in the examples listed in psychology today. It's not difficult to come up with alternatives for each couple. Considering the psychological research that supports the idea that vacation sex is better than regular sex, the "visiting new places" example is ripe with possibility.

The benefits of self-expansion can be boosted by planning and following through with date ideas according to a study done by one of the paper's authors. The researchers found that it can lead to the feeling of shared newness that gets the fires burning.

Sex and relationships are topics that vary wildly from person to person, and this research-backed advice is so simple, it certainly doesn't hurt to try.

To increase sex drive, boost closeness and otherness.

There is something weird sexual about the Tom Cruise space station.