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For many people, the holidays are a magical time. They’re also a frisky and erotic one. Don’t look at me like that. It’s science.
In 2017, a study of 129 countries revealed that around the holidays, there’s a significant peak in sex-related internet searches due to culturally driven human sexual cycles. In the United States, September — nine months later — has the highest birth rate. Christmas is also a big day for contraception. Convenience store chain 7-Eleven claims condom purchases are 2.5 times higher on Christmas than an average day.
Perhaps you’re ardently shaking your head, adamant about the fact that your libido hasn’t peaked in years, especially during the holiday rush. And your browser history is clean as a whistle.
Hear us (and the experts) out.
The season of love
“For many people, December is a cozy month,” Dr. Christopher Ryan Jones, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and sex therapist tells us. “It’s cold out and what better way to combat the cold than snuggling up with your partner by the fireplace, with hot cocoa, and Netflix.”
Jones calls it the season of love — and not just romantic love. It is the time for you to be surrounded with your friends, family, and other loved ones. Moreover, the psychologist says that Hallmark and other networks have spent a lot of money producing plenty of movies about falling in love during the holidays — “because even if you have been unlucky all year, something magical can take place during Christmas.”
And we all know what that something is, according to those peaking internet searches.
It’s cold outside
Though culture and the media indeed play a role in influencing libido, there are other reasons that explain why you’re hornier over the holidays.
According to Abby Dent, a sex and dating coach at Beyond Ages, if you’re someone who keeps up some sort of exercise regimen, you’ll likely be less motivated to de-ice your windshield to go to yoga or trudge through the slush to go for a stroll around the block. “Less exercise outside means more exercise between the sheets,” Dent tells us.
Plus, a little fun between the sheets lets you burn off those extra slices of holiday pie from the warmth of your own bed, the sex expert notes. “This is a win/win situation that many couples won’t pass up, especially when its extra chilly outside,” says Dent.
The timing is right
Ultimately, though, there’s no singular cause for why a person may have an increased interest in sex come December. “I would say it’s a combination of reasons,” says Jones.
“For example, most people have extra time off work during the holidays, which means they have a little more time to invest in the bedroom. Also, the holiday season is often when may people attend a number of parties, (for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, and sometimes for no reason at all), so you have the potential to meet a lot of new people in a short period of time, this could lead to the possibility of sexual encounters,” the psychologist explains.
Here’s the bottom line: No matter the reason, why not take advantage of the surge in sensuality this holiday? If anything, perhaps simply reading this article could be just the nudge you need to take action and embrace the “holiday of love.”
