Studies Prove Gratitude Leads to Sexual Fulfillment

In recent years, researchers have been on a quest to prove that living life with gratitude has many psychological and physical benefits. Studies show that keeping a gratitude journal can improve diastolic blood pressure, and making a mental list of what one is grateful for before bed increases pre-sleep calmness. Now, scientists are out to prove that there is a connection between gratitude and sexual satisfaction in committed relationships.

The journal Social Psychology and Personality Science featured details of a study conducted by a team led by psychologist Ashlyn Brady of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. They found that participating couples had increased sexual satisfaction by improving their emotional connection after engaging in more-frequent expressions of gratitude.

The team of researchers came to the conclusion that over the course of a relationship, most couples experience declines in sexual satisfaction and the relationship suffers. They predicted that gratitude would increase “sexual communal strength,” which is the extent to which people are motivated to be responsive to their partner’s sexual needs. The belief of the researchers is that gratitude motivates partners to maintain close relationships.

The study consisted of 118 couples. Over the course of 21 days, each couple reported the level of gratitude they expressed and received in their relationship as well as their degree of sexual satisfaction. Three months later, when the team had the couples complete the same measures again, they found that people were sexually satisfied to the extent that they and their partner expressed and received a high degree of gratitude. Therefore, changes in gratitude are closely associated with changes in sexual satisfaction.

These findings could help couples experiencing sexual difficulties. Therapists often work with couples to find ways to maintain and improve sexual satisfaction. Studies like this can help practitioners design more effective interventions for couples.