An active sex life is the key to old age happiness

A study has found the key to feeling content and happy during retirement and old age is an active sex life.

Apparently, for those aged over 65 who enjoy regular sexual intercourse with their partner were much happier with their life than their peers who went without.

The research, which looked at the lives of 238 married Americans, revealed that only 40 percent of participants who had not had sex for over a year described themselves as being ‘very happy’ with their life, compared to 60 percent who had sex at least once a month.

Additionally, almost 80 percent that engaged in intercourse were said to be ‘very happy’ with their marriage, a stark contrast to the 59 percent who had abstained for 12 months.

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Dr Adrienne Jackson from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University led the study.

She commented on the findings: “Highlighting the relationship between sex and happiness will help us in developing and organising specific sexual health interventions for this growing segment of our population.”

“This study will help open the lines of communication and spark interest in developing 'outside the box' approaches to dealing with resolvable issues that limit or prevent older adults from participating in sexual activity,” she added.

The results of the study were presented at The Gerontological Society of America's 64th annual scientific meeting in Boston.

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