Believe it or not, the
Chronicle of Higher Education has an article on the nonprocreative usefulness of sex. The article starts out talking about Rick Santorum and the contraceptive issue we have going, but then shifts to this:
If you’re interested in the stability of families, then you should also be a fan of non-procreative sex (which, let’s face it, is going to be a majority of sex any couple engages in, even if they’re choosing to forgo birth control). Women who have more sex are happier in their relationships. Sexual satisfaction outstrips even good communication in ratings of a couple’s happiness. Whether you have an active sex life is a strong predictor of your mental health and a lesser, but still significant, predictor of physical health.
None of that has anything to do with babies. And it doesn’t really have anything to do with mere pleasure, which is what Santorum said sex is reduced to once the potential for kids has been stricken from the equation. Sexual satisfaction increases relationship satisfaction and couples who are more satisfied in their relationships are less likely to divorce. If ever there was a conservative argument for something, there it is.
Sexual satisfaction is also important for the well-being of same-sex couples, according to this study, which found that results were the same for women in homosexual or heterosexual relationships. Though presumably that’s not a study Rick Santorum would be interested in.
