Women who read romance novels have sex twice as often as those who don't.
Romance Readers Have 74% More Sex Than Non-Readers
If you've ever felt guilty about your romance novel habit, here's some validation: research published in academic journals suggests that women who read romance and erotic fiction have sex with their partners twice as often as women who don't. Some studies put the difference even higher, at 74% more sexual activity.
But why would reading steamy novels translate to more action between the sheets?
Fantasy as Foreplay
According to research by Harold Leitenberg published in The Journal of Sex Research, it comes down to fantasy. Women who read romance novels fantasize more frequently and develop more intense, realistic sexual fantasies. These mental rehearsals don't stay mental—they carry over into the bedroom.
In a 2009 study at Widener University surveying 53 women romance readers, 75.5% reported that reading romance novels directly impacted their sex lives. The effects included:
- Increased likelihood of initiating sexual activity
- Greater willingness to try new sexual activities
- Enhanced creativity and playfulness during sex
- More adventurous attitudes toward intimacy
The Arousal Effect
Romance novels essentially function as a mental warm-up. Reading suggestive content primes the brain for sexual thinking, making readers more attuned to desire and more likely to act on it. It's not just about the steamy scenes—the emotional buildup, tension, and romantic connection in these stories can reignite feelings that translate to real-world relationships.
Research in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that readers of erotic romances also reported using fantasy as a complement to intercourse far more frequently than non-readers, who rarely or never did.
More Sex, Better Sex
The quantity increase comes with a quality boost too. Leitenberg notes that romance readers and their partners tend to be more adventurous and playful in bed. The exposure to diverse scenarios and intimate situations in fiction gives readers a broader sexual vocabulary and comfort level with their own desires.
So that stack of romance novels on your nightstand? Consider it relationship enrichment literature.