Romance readers get laid more often
says _ocellot_ on livejournal
She’s talking about this article on the science of love in Canadian Living.com magazine, which gives an interesting summary of latest research on brain states in love, interspersed with quotes from romance novels. The whole article is worth reading, but I’ll just quote the conclusion, for obvious reasons 🙂
“Passion needs to be stoked,” says Pfaus, the father of a four-year-old, who appreciates how hard it can be to play lover at the end of a long day of work and parenting. But here’s the incentive: People in loving relationships tend to live longer, perhaps because la vie d’amour has strengthened their immune system, by mitigating the negative health impacts of the stress hormone, cortisol. “If struggle is the essence of life,” says Pfaus, “then so is pleasure.”
In addition, people who enjoy regular sex enjoy better cardiovascular health and age better. Pfaus points to studies that show people who make love three times a week or more appear to others to be about a decade younger than they really are. But Pfaus says the last word must go to Warren, who, as a writer of romance, knows more about human psychology than anyone.
“There’s all kinds of research to prove that women who read romance have more sex,” says Warren. “Every time you read a romance novel, it’s like falling in love again. And by the end of every story, you’re reminded again that true love does happen and it’s worth working for.”
