Can Shifting Beliefs About Planned Sex Lead to Engaging in More Frequent Sex and Higher Desire and Satisfaction? An Experimental Study of Parents with Young Children

Although people idealize spontaneous sex, planned sex is associated with lower satisfaction only when valued less. This research tested how manipulating planned-sex beliefs and intentions affects sexual frequency, desire, distress, and satisfaction among parents of young children, who are more vulnerable to lower sexual and relationship satisfaction. Following a Pilot Study testing the manipulation (<i>N</i> = 215), participants in the Main Study (<i>N</i> = 514) were assigned to either the experimental group (<i>n</i> = 310) that read about the benefits of planned sex and were encouraged to plan sex or the control group (<i>n</i> = 204) whose existing beliefs and routines were affirmed. Two weeks later, the experimental group reported more frequent planned sex and more frequent sex overall and greater desire as compared to the control group. For the control group, perceiving a recent sexual experience as more planned was linked to lower sexual satisfaction and greater distress, whereas the experimental group was buffered against these effects. Moreover, the experimental group reported higher relationship satisfaction when sex was perceived as planned, unlike the control group. Shifting people's planned-sex beliefs and intentions encourages more frequent sex, enhances desire, and impacts sexual and relationship satisfaction and distress when partners plan sex.