A – Z of sex as almost half of Brits admit faking orgasms… and a third say they want to give roleplay a whirl
WE’VE got sex on the brain – and our views on what makes for a satisfying romp are changing, according to a new study of sexual behaviour in the UK.
A Google search for “sex” brings up more than eight billion results – that’s more results than there are people on Earth.
And Sun sexpert Georgette Culley says we are getting more risque when it comes to fulfilling our needs in the bedroom.
She says: “The UK’s views on sex aren’t the same as they used to be.
“Seeing different types of sex on websites inspires people to try new things. But it can also leave people feeling disappointed and unfulfilled with their own sex lives.
“It’s leaving us confused and wondering whether we are having enough sex with our partners, or if it’s as thrilling as it should be.”
So what are we actually getting up to in between the sheets – and how do we feel about it?
We bring you the A-Z of our sex lives based on a new Hims & Hers report exploring the UK’s attitudes in 2023.
Plus Georgette gives you her tips to making 2023 your sexiest yet and we meet a woman who says ditching booze has made dating better than ever.
A GE: More than twice as many women (38 per cent) than men (16 per cent) say they prefer real relationships to sexual fantasies, and the divide widens with age.
A huge 92 per cent of women over the age of 55 would choose a relationship over pursuing sexual fantasies, while 65 per cent of men in the same age group would rather act out their fantasies than settle down.
B OOMERS: Men from the Baby Boomer generation are less lonely than male Gen Z-ers, with 45 per cent of the younger group feeling more “isolated” when it comes to their sex life, compared to only 21 per cent of the older men.
C OST-OF-LIVING CRISIS: Money troubles leave 13 per cent of us feeling that there’s “too much to deal with” in the current financial crisis and that the stress of it is taking a toll on our sex lives.
D RY DATING: (Dating without drinking alcohol). Dutch courage is becoming a thing of the past, as 14 per cent of us want to try sober dating this year.
E ROTIC SITES: We are big fans of online stimulation and form part of the half a million people around the world who subscribe to adult site OnlyFans each day.
F AKING IT: Secrecy still surrounds sex, with 47 per cent admitting to faking orgasms.
G OING IT ALONE: It has been revealed that ten per cent of British people have become more experimental when it comes to self-satisfaction, because of the rising costs of trying to find love through dating.
H EAVEN: It turns out the proverbial “seven minutes in heaven” may not be enough. Half of us (55 per cent of men and 47 per cent of women) say it takes more than ten minutes to reach an orgasm, with the average time stated as 14mins 30secs.
I NTERNET: As more celebrities promote paid-for content sites such as OnlyFans, around nine per cent of us now feel inspired to pursue legal sex work posing on the internet.
J OB LOSS: With the current economic environment seeing people become unemployed or take a pay cut, 22 per cent of the population report that they are spending less on dating and sex this year.
K INKS: We don’t tend to think that more sex will improve our sex lives — we reckon that adding non-conventional practices will do the trick. Seventeen per cent want to try out dominatrix relationships and eight per cent want to explore foot fetishes.
L GBTQQIP2SAA: The full acronym for the queer community has expanded threefold from LGBT over the past few years. It now stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Pansexual, Two-Spirited, Androgynous and Asexual.
M ENTAL HEALTH: Almost a quarter of us report poorer mental health because of changes in our sex lives, and 17 per cent have more anxiety around sex.
N EVER TOO OLD: It’s a myth that older women don’t like sex, as 80 per cent of those over the age of 45 who aren’t having sex say they are not happy about it.
O RGASMS: Around 15 per cent of women have never orgasmed, either by themselves or with a partner. For many women, it’s one of their biggest sexual stress points.
P ERFORMANCE PRESSURE: We are feeling the pressure in the bedroom, with 30 per cent agreeing that sex “stresses” them out.
Q UALITY OF LIFE: Around 56 per cent of us believe our overall quality of life would improve if our sex life improved.
R OLEPLAY: We are keen to spruce up our sex lives this year, with 32 per cent of people wanting to include some form of roleplay action in the bedroom.
S UGAR DADDIES: With money woes and the cost-of-living crisis, 13 per cent of women want to try “sugar daddy” relationships, where a rich older man lavishes gifts on a young woman in return for her company or sexual favours.
T OYS: The global sex toy market is projected to reach £52billion by the end of the decade. A quarter of us in the UK have a sex toy that no one else knows about.
U NHAPPY SEX: One in ten British people have quit having sex because they are too unhappy to enjoy it.
V OYEURISM: Around 16 per cent of us want to explore voyeurism this year. This is when you have a sexual interest in watching other people engage in intimate behaviour.
W OMEN: The females of the species are keen to explore more, with 33 per cent wanting to know more about pleasure spots and 23 per cent interested in mindful sex.
X –RATED: We continue to be big fans of X-rated content, with Pornhub being one of the most visited websites in the world (right after Amazon and ahead of Netflix).
Y ES: Saying yes to multiple intimate relationships has become a popular trend, with 11 per cent now wanting “solo polyamory” — dating or engaging in multiple meaningful relationships without having a primary partner.
Z Gen Z: Times have changed. Nearly as many Gen Z women (51 per cent) have watched porn alone in the past year as have Gen Z men (55 per cent).
Whereas only nine per cent of Baby Boomer women have watched porn alone in the past year compared to 55 per cent of men.