Netflix and chill is often code for having sex, but, according to a new study, it’s actually doing the exact opposite to many people’s sex lives, leading to more lonely nights and less action. We take a look at exactly why this is the case, per a recent article from FOX News, which references a study performed by Lancaster University in the U.K.
According to the Lancaster University study, most people are using the Internet later in the evening, with the peak of that usage coming between the hours of 10 and 11 p.m. — due to people streaming movies and TV shows on Netflix. Unfortunately, this was often the time period when people were getting down and dirty, with sex being replaced by Netflix and chilling now instead.
The study, which analyzed nearly 400 devices to show Internet usage, goes on to say that the more people watch these shows, the less likely they are to have sex, per the FOX News piece. The results were later published in the journal Energy Research and Social Science.
“To the extent that this traffic is associated with viewing films or programmes, rather than short videos on YouTube, it suggests that mobile devices are used to prolong hours of ‘TV watching’, perhaps after the main TV set has been turned off,” the study reads.
The study continued: “This is supported by the diary study, in which instances of TV watching later in the evening tended to occur on mobile devices, and especially tablets. One participant remarked how it “opens up a whole new world to watching television in bed” if she’s having trouble sleeping, whilst another reported that watching on a tablet in bed by himself, after having watched something with his family the living room, helps him to fall asleep.”
How big of a deal could this be? Well, the research supports the bold claim of at least one professor from the University of Cambridge, David Spiegelhalter, who said that he believes couples are less interested in sex because of the amount of TV they’re watching in bed, with Spiegelhalter even going as far as saying that it’s a “a very worrying trend” that British couples would have no sex at all by the year 2030, per a 2016 interview with The Telegraph. He also added this, via The Sun.
“Sexually active [British] couples between 16 and 64 were asked [how often they have sex], and the median was five times in the last month in 1990, then four times in 2000 and three times in 2010.”
We’re not sure we agree with the proposition of no sex by the time 2030 rolls around, but, given the research from Lancaster University and the fact that, at least one professor, theorizes sex will continue to decrease, it’s something to pay attention to. How can we fix this? Simple, put down the damn remote and start getting back to being busy between the sheets!