With summer coming up, you might expect your sex life to pick up amid the beach vacations, nights on rooftop bars, and walks in your favorite sundresses. Or you might expect it to slow down in the sweltering weather. Which is it?
According to Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., a psychiatrist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor at Harvard Medical School, sunlight tends to make people more interested in sex because it boosts their mood. "Sunlight has been shown to have an association with serotonin, a key neurotransmitter in the ability to experience pleasure," she explains. In addition, since everyone's wearing less clothing, sex might be on our brains more than usual, she says.
Jessica O'Reilly, Ph.D., Astroglide's resident sexologist, says the increased time we spend socializing and exercising could also lead to a libido spike during summer. Another less-expected source of increased desire, she says, is the decrease in melatonin levels that we experience in the sunlight, since melatonin can block sex hormones.
Supporting these views, a study from Villanova University found that June and July, along with December and January, see the highest number of sex-related Google searches.
On the other hand, according to naturopathic doctor Gary Kracoff, N.M.D., soaring temperatures and humidity can kill your sex drive. A National Bureau of Economic Research study published last year found that babies are less likely to be conceived on the hottest days of the year. The researchers suggest the hot weather makes us lethargic and hesitant to do anything that'll work up a sweat.
As long as you've got access to an air conditioner or a place with a nice summer breeze, though, the prognosis for the coming months looks good.
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