Bona fide sex expert explains why coronavirus quarantine is making people hornier than usual
The sex researcher explained how coronavirus panic can make people horny. (cottonbro/ Pexels)
A sex expert has explained why coronavirus quarantine measures have made some people more horny that usual, but have also made some people not want to have sex at all.
The Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, which studies human sexuality and relationships, is currently conducting a study on how the coronavirus pandemic has affected sexual relationships and behaviour.
Social psychologist and author of Tell Me What You Want: The Science of Sexual Desire Justin Lehmiller is a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute, and he told Vox that the pandemic is affecting people in opposite ways
Lehmiller said: “When you look at the data, you actually see movement at both ends. You have a higher percentage of people now who are saying [that] they’re masturbating and having more sex.
“But you also have a higher percentage of people saying they’re not engaging in any sexual behaviour at all. And the people at the low end and not having any behaviour — that increase is much bigger than the increase at the other end of the spectrum.”
Essentially, the panic and distress associated with COVID-19 can kill people’s sex drive, but it can also make you significantly more horny.
He continued: “There’s a whole body of research and the theory is called Terror Management Theory (TMT).
“The idea behind it is that when we face the prospect of our own mortality, it leads us to cope, or it leads us to change our attitudes and behaviours in a way that it’s designed to cope with that existential threat.”
As most of the world engages in social distancing, Lehmiller said, people also have more privacy which has led to an increase in online sexual behaviour.
When the days and nights, weekdays and weekends, all start to feel like the same thing, any time can be a good time to send nudes.
He added: “The people that are most likely to experience that increased in sexual desire are people who already are very comfortable with their bodies and have a positive body image.”
But however horny you are, the UK’s national LGBT+ health adviser has said people must stop hooking-up during the coronavirus lockdown.
The medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust warned that hook-up culture could lead to the spread of coronavirus, making clear that the only safe sex is with yourself or “someone within your household”.
