The Magic Number: How Often Should 'Happy' Couples Have Sex?

When it comes to maintaining a long-lasting, happy relationship, how often should couples head to the bedroom for ‘special cuddles’? A recent survey of 2,000 British couples in content, long-term partnerships sheds light on this age-old question. Conducted by UK streaming service ITVX ahead of the premiere of the new drama “Love & Death,” the survey revealed some juicy facts about what keeps relationships thriving.

These couples, who had celebrated a decade or more together, disclosed that they
engaged in intimacy an average of seven times per month. While this magic number seemed to play a role in building successful relationships, it wasn’t the sole defining factor. Most participants emphasized the importance of “having fun together” as the crucial ingredient that had kept them together for over a decade. Elements such as “compromise,” “openness,” and “shared humour” were deemed more vital to a successful partnership than time spent in the bedroom.

Interestingly, despite the importance of regular intimacy for many respondents, five percent of these couples admitted to sleeping in separate bedrooms. On the topic of infidelity, 20 percent confessed to having cheated on their partners. Surprisingly, 58 percent of those infidelities were discovered, but 85 percent of them mended their relationships, and 38 percent even asserted that the affair ultimately strengthened their bond.