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Why are we having less sex? Is it antidepressants?

Published on 24 Comments on Why are we having less sex? Is it antidepressants?

Here's a chart from Ryan Burge:

Between the ages of 20-50, the number of people having frequent sex has declined by 7-10 percentage points. Burge is interested in whether this has anything to do with religion, but I have a different theory.

The early comparison period is 1989-1993. This was before the Prozac revolution really took off.

The later comparison period is 2016-2022. During this period, something like 12% of adults aged 20-50 took antidepressants.

A great many of these antidepressants are SSRIs or related meds, which have a well known effect on sex. That effect is to make it all but impossible. It's telling that Burge finds that sex hasn't changed much among Black protestants, which matches data showing that Black people use antidepressants at a far lower rate than white people.

This is speculative for now. A proper study would compare frequency of sex among different races and genders, which have substantially different rates of antidepressant use. Has anyone done that?

24 thoughts on “Why are we having less sex? Is it antidepressants?”

  1. D_Ohrk_E1

    You know, the other reason that matches your timeline is the quality and pervasiveness of internet porn. Just saying.

    1. Anandakos

      Hey, most of that 22% have to deal with white men. Jes' sayin'.

      [And I am one so don't jump on me. I'm just a realistic one]

      1. J'myle

        You're less likely to have someone jump on you now than in the past. The post even has a chart showing how much.

  4. Evan

    Is this normalized for demographic bulges? Maybe there's an age group that has more sex, and the percentage of people who are currently in that age group has changed over time.

  5. S1AMER

    Or it might be that people had more sex back in the days before they had smart phones occupying all their time?

    1. Salamander

      Phone sex! Safer than the real thing! More convenient! Less messy! No chance of embarrassing pregnancies! Do it with a friend, or "the old fashioned way."

  9. Traveller

    I am surprised that no one has said, noticed or spied the elephant in the mansion of our lives...Sex has been demonized, the dangers have been magnified and emphasized....disease, pregnancy, blackmail, slut shaming, doxing and publishing your sex pictures, video, voice and conversations....

    Sex is mostly wrong and dangerous except for procreative purposes...and you will be punished it you engage in sex for fun...

    This is the actual and real message within the United States....of course people are depressed and there is less sexual activity.

    This is just plain as day....Best Wishes, Traveller

  10. Hal_10000

    As someone who has taken SSRIs, I wouldn't say they make sex "impossible". They do have effects, but not that dramatic.

    Can also be tricky to pull out effects. I appreciate Taylor Tomlinson's joke: "I can't tell if my sex drive is lower or my self-esteem is just higher."

  12. Traveller

    This is an important link that possibly could cover many pathologies......
    at 8 billion and counting, we are still trying to see how this all works out. Thanks for the post of this story. Best Wishes, Traveller

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