Sex is something that can be difficult for us to discuss at times. Challenges with sexuality can arise in our intimate relationships that can be difficult to address which can lead to an emotional disconnect. While it can be difficult to know where to start or how to have these conversations, the research shows that there is a higher correlation of sexual satisfaction among couple's that are able to engage in sexual communication.
In research published in February of this year, it was shown that, "sexual communication was positively associated with sexual desire, sexual arousal, lubrication, orgasm, erectile function, less pain, and overall sexual function."
The research goes on the say, "the effect sizes for sexual desire were higher for women than for men. For overall sexual function, studies with married participants had a larger effect size than studies with participants with multiple relationship types or than studies with dating participants."
According to this research, having conversations with your partner can improve the experience of sexual activity in multiple dimensions. And, if the participants were married, the improvement in sexual function was even higher.
While this research shows a correlation between sexual communication and an increase in sexual function, the researchers also note "some of the effects were small" and that "sexual communication is part of a larger combination of factors that facilitate sexual health." They also mention that these are just correlations and that the deeper causal factors, and relationships, are still not completely understood.
The moral of the story: If you want to improve your sexual life, start by improving your sexual communication with your partner. You will be able to use it as an opportunity to discuss needs, wants, and desires. Or you may discover where there are some hidden challenges, or disconnects, that you can work on restoring. If the conversations are difficult to address, that likely indicates some areas that contribute to a lack of connection which will impact the ability to connect sexually - you can find a therapist that specializes in sex therapy to help negotiate the challenges.
Have great conversations and great sex!
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