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Sex and happiness

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  • Cheng, Zhiming
  • Smyth, Russell

Abstract

We examine the relationship between sexual activities and happiness using a sample of 3800 adults from China. We provide some results about the relationship between sexual activities and happiness for an important country other than the United States. We find that those who have more sex and better quality sex, proxied by emotional and physical satisfaction with one's primary sex partner, are happier. We find that the happiness maximizing number of sexual partners is one and that engaging in extramarital sex is negatively related to happiness. A third important finding is that having unwanted sex is associated with lower happiness for both men and women.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng, Zhiming & Smyth, Russell, 2015. "Sex and happiness," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 26-32.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:112:y:2015:i:c:p:26-32
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2014.12.030
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    26. Vinod Mishra & Ingrid Nielsen & Russell Smyth & Alex Newman, 2014. "The Job Satisfaction-Life Satisfaction Relationship Revisited: Using the Lewbel Estimation Technique to Estimate Causal Effects Using Cross-Sectional Data," Monash Economics Working Papers 26-14, Monash University, Department of Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Zhiming Cheng & Russell Smyth, 2017. "China’S Imbalanced Sex Ratio And Satisfaction With Marriage," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 62(04), pages 765-782, September.
    2. Cheng, Zhiming & King, Stephen P. & Smyth, Russell & Wang, Haining, 2016. "Housing property rights and subjective wellbeing in urban China," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 45(S), pages 160-174.
    3. Drydakis, Nick, 2019. "Trans People, Transitioning, Mental Health, Life and Job Satisfaction," GLO Discussion Paper Series 414, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Sefa Awaworyi Churchill & Russell Smyth, 2020. "Friendship network composition and subjective well-being," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 72(1), pages 191-215.
    5. Li, Rui & Wang, Tianyu & Zhou, Mingshan, 2021. "Entrepreneurship and household portfolio choice: Evidence from the China Household Finance Survey," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 1-15.
    6. Uwe Jirjahn & Martha Ottenbacher, 2023. "Big Five personality traits and sex," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 549-580, April.
    7. Zhiming Cheng & Russell Smyth & Gong Sun, 2013. "Participation and Expenditure of Rural-Urban Migrants in the Illegal Lottery in China," Monash Economics Working Papers 24-13, Monash University, Department of Economics.
    8. Loewenstein, George & Krishnamurti, Tamar & Kopsic, Jessica & McDonald, Daniel, 2015. "Does Increased Sexual Frequency Enhance Happiness?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 206-218.
    9. Wang, Wangshuai & Li, Jie & Sun, Gong & Zhang, Xin-an & Cheng, Zhiming, 2016. "Achievement Goal and Life Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Perception of Successful Agency and the Moderating Role of Emotion Reappraisal," MPRA Paper 72864, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Ben Zhe Wang & Zhiming Cheng, 2017. "Environmental Perceptions, Happiness and Pro-environmental Actions in China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 357-375, May.
    11. Bjørn Grinde, 2022. "The Contribution of Sex to Quality of Life in Modern Societies," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(1), pages 449-465, February.
    12. Zhiming Cheng & Russell Smyth, 2015. "China’s Imbalanced Sex Ratio and Satisfaction with Marital Relationships," Monash Economics Working Papers 22-15, Monash University, Department of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Happiness; Sexual intercourse; Subjective wellbeing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • H00 - Public Economics - - General - - - General
    • J00 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - General
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General

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