CARNAL NATION

According to the K-Y Brand Intimacy Survey, the recession is hurting the sex lives of lovers in New Zealand. The survey, conducted by Consumer Link, asked 500 men and women in committed relationships about intimacy levels and revealed that one fourth of women feel the economic downturn is negatively impacting their love lives.

While nearly one fifth of men reported that financial stress has been detrimental to their sex lives, the good news is that greater intimacy is a priority for men.

How can their partners show these intimacy-starved men that they love them? According to study respondents, giving more hugs and creating enhanced romance in the bedroom would make them feel loved and increase relationship intimacy.

The New Zealand Herald reports that sex therapists are seeing the fallout of challenging economic times with an increase in clients who blame their less-than-stellar sex lives on the stress of work and lack of job security.

While financial pressure and concerns can put undue strain on sex and relationships, the flip side is that sex carries a host of benefits that may come in handy during a recession. Sex is (often) free, it can help reduce stress levels and it may alleviate symptoms of depression. Coincidentally, diagnoses of depression have also been on the rise since the economic slump, giving New Zealanders yet another good reason to have more sex during hard times.