Fears about assault may be to blame for the fact that we all have less sex.
In an interview with Scientific American, two researchers whose findings affirm the global trend of people having less sex talked about why.
It's not surprising that the researchers found a decrease in sexual frequency among partners, as well as a correlation between increases in teen social media use and a decreased amount.
The most interesting conclusion Herbenick and Fu drew was that some of the younger people they spoke to were avoiding sex because they were concerned about unwanted sex behaviors like strangulation and choking.
According to Herbenick, studies of thousands of randomly sampled college students show that choking or strangulation during sex is common. College-age students seem to be the majority of the behavior. It is consensual and wanted by many people, but it is also frightening to many people, even if they learn to enjoy it.
Fu said that some people are feeling frightened and don't know what to make of what is being presented to them, especially young adults. They could consent to sex, but something could happen if they don't.
In sexual health circles, choking has been known as erotic asphyxiation. Breath play can be relatively safe when done with risk reduction in mind, but as this type of sex act gains more mainstream acceptance and practice, it seems like Herbenick and Fu's research may suggest that it's started.
Some have suggested that this expectation may be related to the prevalence of free porn online, and that young people are learning violent sexual behaviors from porn.
That line of thinking often flattens the complicated economics and content promotion of porn as a business, and treats both viewers and people who act and work in porn as pawns of an exploitative, misogynistic industry.
The bottom line is that no one should have to worry about or be afraid of unwanted sexual acts, which is what constitutes sexual assault. The complicated intersection of porn and sexuality gets left in the dust as political agendas push anti-sex work at all levels of society and government.
There is more study needed to map out the factors that lead to the downturn in sexual activity. Sensitivity to both sexual desires and fears should be paramount.
People have been having less sex.
The author says that the era of sex for reproduction is coming to an end.
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