What Can Orgasms Do

Our sexual attitudes are shaped by our parents, peer groups, media and teachers.

We all have views, thoughts, beliefs and attitudes about sex. Some people think that sex is something to be ashamed of; others are very open and comfortable about their sexuality. Some societies and some families are very comfortable talking about sexual matters while others prefer not to.

Our sexual attitudes are shaped by our parents, peer groups, media and teachers. Where you are born, who your parents and family are, your culture, religion and social circumstances will all have a profound influence on your sexual attitudes.

Your friends will be very influential in shaping your ideas about sex. They may be eager to pass on information – whether or not it is accurate! There is often great excitement and a sense of naughtiness about sex talk among teenagers, but there can also be pressure to have sex or to engage in risky sexual behaviour, which many young people are not ready for. Any form of taunting or bullying of a young woman with regard to sex can leave lasting negative sexual attitudes that can be hard to reverse.

Traditional and social media, play a huge role is shaping sexual attitudes and these days, young people have easy access to sexual information from all over the globe, some of it very explicit. This makes it very challenging for any young woman to find her own comfort level in the sexual world.

Social media poses real risks for some young people. Most young people know now that the social media is not private and that comments and photos must all be carefully considered before they are put online. But young people are still very vulnerable in the social media space. Young people are also vulnerable to exploitation by strangers on the web who attempt to trick them into sharing sexual information or meeting for sexual activity. Caution is important with any social media use.

It might be time to start saying “an orgasm a day keeps the doctor away” because besides feeling amazing, the Big O also has plenty of important benefits for the body, especially on your skin.

That elusive glow you’ve been chasing after? You just might see it in your reflection the next time you finish a spin in the sack!

Ever find that having an orgasm calms you down? You’re not alone. In fact, getting it on can actually help skin maintain itself. Planned Parenthood reports that in a 2000 survey, 39 percent of 2,632 U.S. women reported masturbating to relax.

Other studies have found that low levels of oxytocin in the bloodstream are correlated with high levels of stress, tension, and anxiety disorders. And when you’re stressed out, a big organ like your skin might take the hardest hit. Not only can stress trigger inflammation in conditions like rosacea and psoriasis, it can also trigger those oh-so-annoying breakouts we all experience.

Type Of Sex Drive

From day to day, you probably notice changes in your sex drive, brought on by everything from your cycle to a frustrating spat with your partner to exhaustion from working long hours. What you probably don’t detect so easily is the way your libido changes as you get older. But it does, thanks to a host of factors.

“Sex drive does often decrease with age,” John Thoppil, MD, an Austin, Texas–based ob-gyn, tells Health. Of course, you won’t notice a dramatic difference in your libido as the calendar rolls past your 29th or 39th birthday. It’s more that the factors that set these changes in motion—like hormonal shifts, pregnancy, and increased family responsibilities—tend to happen as you transition from your 20s to your 40s.

Many factors—some biological, some psychological—influence whether your sex drive is on full throttle or at a standstill at any age. Stress “is the biggest sex killer,” Jennifer Landa, MD, an ob-gyn and chief medical officer at BodyLogicMD in Orlando, Florida, tells Health. Anxiety and depression can also leave desire circling the drain. Frustratingly, many antidepressants that treat these conditions, as well as other medications, have the side effect of inhibiting sex drive too, says Dr. Thoppil.

Your feelings about your partner and your relationship can also affect desire. A strong relationship, and one that prioritizes sex, helps drive libido, notes Dr. Thoppil. Also important? Your lifestyle. Healthy habits, like eating a balanced diet, working out regularly, and getting enough rest, influence your mood as well as your overall health, says Dr. Landa.

Hormones are another biggie, says Dr. Landa. Levels of sex hormones such as testosterone (yep, women produce this too, in small amounts), estrogen, and progesterone all naturally start to dip as you move through the decades, and that plays a role in desire, arousal, and orgasm.

Bottom line: Libido is complex. “Sex is an elaborate cocktail of our identities, our feelings, our desires, and actions,” Shadeen Francis, a relationship therapist and author based in Philadelphia, tells Health. While there is no “normal,” certain predictable trends tend to sync with your 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Your sex drive in your 20s
Like so many other bodily drives and functions, your sex drive when you’re 21 or 28 is typically pretty strong. “[Your] 20’s sex drive is usually rocking,” says Dr. Landa. That’s due to a combination of reasons. For starters, your relationships may be fresh and new, and as Dr. Thoppil points out, “desire is often strongest in a new relationship.” Plus, you’ve got biology on your side. “The biological drive to reproduce is in full force,” says Dr. Landa.

Tips for your best sex in your 20s: If your sex drive is low, it could be due to your birth control, says Dr. Landa. “It doesn’t have this effect on everyone, but some women will experience lower testosterone levels on the pill, which can lead to lower libido and even to vaginal dryness in some young women,” she explains. Consider checking in with your ob-gyn to rule out another health issue and opt for an alternate birth control method.

Your sex drive in your 30s
If your craving for physical intimacy dips during your 30s, don’t be surprised. Testosterone is on the decline during this life stage, for starters. “This dip can cause a natural decrease in sex drive,” says Dr. Landa. This is also usually a busy decade for women, full of career building, adulting, and responsibilities like parenting young kids. “These can be exhausting times, and many women would rather catch up on sleep instead of getting dolled up for a night of wild sex,” points out Dr. Landa.

Speaking of parenting, the 30s are a prime decade for babymaking. The hormone shifts that occur through each trimester and then during breastfeeding can also trigger a lack of desire. Add in the crazy fatigue many new moms deal with, and it makes sense that the desire you felt when you were baby-free is very different than your new mom libido.

Tips for your best sex in your 30s: It can be disconcerting for you and your partner if your sex drive changes. Remove the mystery by communicating openly, recommends Francis. “Being able to express your needs and negotiate them with your partner keeps your overall relationship feeling an intimate connection, even on those nights are when all you are interested in is a hand massage and an hour of alone time,” she says.

All About the Male Sex Drive

Sex is at the core of a lot the greatest movies ever made. It is the most natural of human fascinations—a biological need we spend our lifetimes trying to understand and perfect, which explains why it makes for great drama and great comedy.

The art of seduction is not unlike that of film. What is left to the imagination is often what viewers end up wanting to see the most. Whether it’s just out of frame or just out of touch, a healthy dose of yearning can edge us toward the gratifying moment of passion, even if it never ends up being shown. A tender close-up would otherwise be anti-climactic if not for its initial absence.

Here, we celebrate the sexiest movies of all time—the films where sensuality, romance, attraction, and the need for physical touch are driving forces in the narrative. Whether it’s in sophomoric explorations, gut-wrenching unspoken tensions, or the simple deed itself, sex and film have been entangled together as far back as the medium has existed. These are the best movies about lust, love, and everything in between.

Perceptions of male sex drive

There are many stereotypes that portray men as sex-obsessed machines. Books, television shows, and movies often feature characters and plot points that assume men are crazy about sex and women are only concerned with romance.

But is it true? What do we know about the male sex drive?

Stereotypes about male sex drive
So what stereotypes about the male sex drive are true? How do men compare to women? Let’s look at these popular myths about male sexuality.

Men think about sex all day long
A recent study at Ohio State University of over 200 students debunks the popular myth that men think about sex every seven seconds. That would mean 8,000 thoughts in 16 waking hours! The young men in the study reported thoughts of sex 19 times per day on average. The young women in the study reported an average of 10 thoughts about sex per day.

So do men think about sex twice as much as women? Well, the study also suggested that men thought about food and sleep more frequently than women. It’s possible that men are more comfortable thinking about sex and reporting their thoughts. Terri Fisher, the lead author of the study, claims that people who reported being comfortable with sex in the study’s questionnaire were most likely to think about sex on a frequent basis.

Men masturbate more often than women
In a study conducted in 2009 on 600 adults in Guangzhou, China, 48.8 percent of females and 68.7 percent of males reported that they had masturbated. The survey also suggested that a significant number of adults had a negative attitude toward masturbation, particularly women.

Men usually take 2 to 7 minutes to orgasm
Masters and Johnson, two important sex researchers, suggest a Four-Phase Model for understanding the sexual response cycle:

excitement
plateau
orgasm
resolution
Masters and Johnson assert that males and female both experience these phases during sexual activity. But the duration of each phase differs widely from person to person. Determining how long it takes a man or a woman to orgasm is difficult because the excitement phase and the plateau phase may begin several minutes or several hours before a person climaxes.

Men are more open to casual sex
One study conducted in 2015Trusted Source suggests that men are more willing than women to engage in casual sex. In the study, 6 men and 8 women approached 162 men and 119 women either at a nightclub or at a college campus. They issued an invitation for casual sex. A significantly higher proportion of men accepted the offer than women.

However, in the second part of the same study conducted by these researchers, women appeared more willing to accept invitations for casual sex when they were in a safer environment. Women and men were shown pictures of suitors and asked whether or not they would consent to casual sex. The gender difference in responses disappeared when women felt they were in a safer situation.

The difference between these two studies suggests that cultural factors like social norms can have a big impact on the way that men and women seek out sexual relationships.

Gay male couples have more sex than lesbian couples
This myth is difficult to prove or to debunk. Gay men and lesbian women have a variety of sexual experiences just like heterosexual men and women. Single gay men living in urban cities have a reputation for having a significant number of partners. But gay men engage in all kinds of relationships.

Lesbian couples may also have different definitions about what “sex” means to them. Some lesbian couple use sex toys to engage in penetrative intercourse. Other lesbian couples consider sex to be mutual masturbation or caressing.

Men are less romantic than women
As suggested by Masters and Johnson’s Four-Phase Model, sexual excitement is different for everyone. Sources of arousal can vary greatly from person to person. Sexual norms and taboos often shape the way that men and women experience sexuality and can impact the way they report it in surveys. This makes it difficult to scientifically prove that men are biologically not inclined toward romantic arousal.