Oct. 23, 2023 | Sharita Forrest
People who found ways to explore their sexuality and use it as a coping mechanism during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic had more active and fulfilling sex lives, according to studies conducted by RST Associate Professor Liza Berdychevsky.
The fear, uncertainty and stress associated with the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on adults’ mental and physical health – and their sex lives, several studies reported. However, new research suggests that individuals who embraced sex as a leisure activity found creative ways to cope with the effects of the pandemic and enjoyed more satisfying and active sex lives compared with people who did not view sex the same way.
Researcher Liza Berdychevsky, a professor of recreation, sport and tourism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, conducted an online survey of 675 adults in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada between February and May 2021. Published in the journal Leisure Studies, the first paper from the project examined people’s views of sex as leisure before and during the pandemic and the effects those outlooks had on the respondents’ quantity and quality of sex.
The sex-as-leisure perspective was defined in the study as engaging in sexual activity for purposes such as recreation, relaxation, self-gratification or personal development.
“When sexual activity is pleasurable, freely chosen, and intrinsically motivated, it aligns with most definitions of leisure activity,” Berdychevsky said. “The sex-as-leisure mindset affects sexual inhibitions, attitudes and practices, and it is congruent with the view of sexual health as key to our overall wellbeing and quality of life.”
The paper “Sex as leisure approach during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on the quantity and quality of sex life” is available online.
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