Targeted for: Heterosexuals

There is no sense denying it, so Americans might as well embrace it. The fact is: sex is great! Not only does it feel good, it also attributes to a variety of physical and mental health benefits. For example, the amount of endorphins released during the physical act of foreplay and sex is equal to a whole twenty minute aerobic workout. How about that for your daily exercise routine!  For some, sex is a way to create and share a strong emotional bond with a partner. It strengthens trust and provides a greater level of comfort in a relationship.  It can also help a person to feel more confident about their level of attractiveness and assist in creating a better self-image.  Sex has definitely been linked to improving relaxation and decreasing anxiety and anger. For many, it is even productive. We can thank the procreators for that! Other people view sex as more of a recreational activity. Long-term relationships are not for everyone. Some purely enjoy the physical stimulation and are happy leaving intimacy at the door.  Of course the age in which people partake in this pleasurable activity is always of debate. For decades teen sex has been a subject of heated controversy, a topic of intense research and reveled by religious leaders, child therapists, and even outspoken parents.  Fortunately, that is not the topic of this article. However, society must remember that teenagers are just younger versions of adult humans and so it is just as natural for them to seek physical and emotional pleasure. While consensual sex is viewed primarily as a negative behavior for the younger population, it receives a five star rating among adults. Therefore, it seems likely that adult sexual activity wouldn’t be so mysterious and intriguing. However, this isn’t the case. Despite the positive view, many adults keep what happens behind closed doors and under their covers top secret and do not feel comfortable and/or able to see the importance of disclosing what sexual activities they partake in.  This is perplexing because most other mammals care less where they have sex and who is around. People see animals engaging in sexual activity in public all the time. It isn’t the engaged animal whose face turns red, giggles nervously, and exits the scene immediately. The fact that many adults have a positive attitude about sex but are not discussing it openly is concerning. Only through the process of identifying and acknowledging common sexual practices among various cultures/sub-groups and determining what each group considers sexually healthy behavior, can sexual norms be established and accepted among members of a particular community. Establishing those sexual norms is the first step in decreasing the stigma attached to many sexually diverse cultures, this will aid parents in speaking more openly about sex and sexuality with their children, help medical, mental health, and community organizations recognize needs of these groups, and hopefully eventually lead to sexual equality among humans in general. Everyone has the right to a happy healthy sex life.