Sexuality, Age, and Happiness

[Carsonspire]

http://www.indicedebonheur.com/en/articles...-attraction.htm


The article doesn't propose any earth-shattering theses, but it still is interesting to look at the statistics. Apparently the older one gets, the more one is apt to believe love can exist without physical or sexual attraction.




2014 Mod Edit - For future reference:

Physical and Sexual Attraction: Not an Obligation for Love, but a Prerequisite!

Indeed, while most respondents (54%) think that love can't exist without love physical and sexual attraction for your spouse, a very high proportion (45%) believes that it can. In other words, the population is really fairly divided on this topic.

And yet happiness appears to find more fertile ground among people who do not believe that physical and sexual attraction are necessary for love, as indicated by their RHI of 77.80, which is 3 points over those who think the contrary (74.50).

Obviously, the natural enthusiasm and naïveté of younger people are showing through because the 18–24 group heads the list (69%) in believing that love can't exist without this attraction. This viewpoint is also strongly held by single parents (64%), people living alone (63%), and individuals with lower incomes (63%).

The importance of this sexual and physical attraction diminishes over the years; 59% of people between age 55 and 64 believe that love can exist without the attraction. Yet 41% of the respondents from this segment stated the need for physical and sexual attraction. Love and physical/sexual attraction therefore maintain a close relationship, even over the years.

It is also interesting to see that couples (53%), people from families with 5 or more children (56%), and individuals with a master's degree (55%) believe that love can exist without physical and sexual attraction. These data give rise to some interesting questions about the nature of couples, families, and educational background and the types of relationships that men have with women and vice versa.

[kg]

Hmmm

I always suspected that I'd have been better off in Quebec.

Seriously: It's an interesting article. Is this a well known publication (I'd not heard of it before)

[Kelly]

We see:

Cool. Many people do seem to understand the concept that love does not necessarily mean sex.

Yay. :)

I am curious, though, why most young people do not understand.

*wonders*

[edited logic error]

[Carsonspire]

It's not necessarily a scientific/scholarly study; the index results were based purely on survey data (albeit extensive survey data).

Some of the more well-known happiness indices/measurements include:

-UN Human Development Index

-Gross National Happiness

-Gross International Happiness

-Happy Planet Index (environmental)

I just listed this particular study because it explicitly mentioned a link between sexuality and happiness.

~Carsonspire

[Carsonspire]

Thanks for posting the graph, Kelly Kelly.

I also wonder why the numbers are so low for younger people.

[Hayley]

My theory is that sex=love and love=sex is drilled into youths these days, it's everwhere. If you love someone you must have sex with them. I'm assuming that as those youths age they will begin to realise that that isn't always the case, with experience.

What a very interesting study though, in some ways it's lovely to see. There are people out there who understand.

[Octarine]

Also, for a lot of young people, their sex drive is at its highest. The older you get, the more platonic forms of affection you discover and/or employ.

[vikingo]

One thing that probably is different among people in the population investigation is how they conceive "love". Both as a function of personal age(s) and social realit(ies).

[KAGU143]

I'm not the least bit surprised by these survey results.

After all, everybody who is past their teens knows that people get better and smarter as they age.

:D :P

*ducks and runs for shelter*

-GB