So Why do You Have Sex?

Remember this article that made a bit of a stir a few months back:

Why People Have Sex: 237 Reasons

Miranda Hitti

WebMD Medical News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Aug. 1, 2007 -- Why do people have sex? A new study counts the ways and comes up with 237 reasons.

The reasons range from the sublime to the scandalous. Some motivations came from the heart. Others came from elsewhere in the anatomy.

The leading reason for sex was, "I was attracted to the person," according to the study, which appears in the August issue of the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

The study comes from Cindy Meston, PhD, and David Buss, PhD, of the psychology department at the University of Texas at Austin.

First, they asked 203 men and 241 women aged 17-52 in Austin, Texas, to anonymously list every reason they had ever had sex. Those men and women were taking psychology classes or were participating in other studies at the Sexual Psychophysiology Laboratory of the University of Texas.

All in all, participants listed 715 reasons for having sex. The researchers deleted repetitions, boiling the list down to 237 reasons.

Next, Meston and Buss presented the list to 1,549 psychology students and asked them to rate how often, if ever, they had had sex for each of the 237 reasons.

The Top 10 Reasons Men Have Sex

1. I was attracted to the person.
2. It feels good.
3. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.
4. It's fun.
5. I wanted to show my affection to the person.
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.
7. I was "horny."
8. I wanted to express my love for the person.
9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm.
10. I wanted to please my partner.

Top Ten Reasons Women Have Sex

1. I was attracted to the person.
2. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.
3. It feels good.
4. I wanted to show my affection to the person.
5. I wanted to express my love for the person.
6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.
7. I was "horny."
8. It's fun.
9. I realized I was in love.
10. I was "in the heat of the moment."

I remember when I first read this article I chuckled and then I was like...well...why do I have sex? I'd say out of the top ten the following applies to me:

1. I was attracted to the person.
2. It feels good.
3. I wanted to experience the physical pleasure.
4. It's fun
5. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release.
6. I was "horny."
7. I wanted to achieve an orgasm.
8. I was "in the heat of the moment"

Also a couple of reasons for me that made the list but aren't on the top ten are:

1. I was bored
2. I was lonely
3. I wanted to be closer to God

So there you have it. That's why I have sex. Now the question is: Why do you have sex?

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