Contrary to popular belief, a study reveals that men value cuddling and women are more sexually satisfied in long term relationships.

Researchers looked at 1,009 commited couples from the U.S., Brazil, Germany, Japan and Spain. Most of the sample group had been together a minimum of 25 years, with some as long as 51 and others as little as 1.

Along with other forms of physical attention such as hugging and kissing, snuggling was tied to a man’s sense of fulfilment in the relationship.

The study was authored by Julia Heiman, director of Indiana University’s Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. Heiman decision to study long term relationships goes against the norm in her field, with most looking at why couples split up. “It’s true that, at least in the U.S., 50 percent of people, approximately, divorce,” she said. “But that does leave 50 percent of people who don’t.”

Of the men who completed the survey, those from Brazil and Spain were the least happy while men in Japan were more so. American men were in the middle. In genera, men were happier the longer relationship lasted.

Women seemingly became less happy from the first year through the fifteenth, but from years 20 to 50, became happier. Heiman attributed this to the pressures of having kids. “The period of less satisfaction seems to overlap with the period of raising children, during which other things really take a focus,” she said.

Sexual fulfilment also increased as the relationship went on, the study found. “Possibly, women become more satisfied over time because their expectations change, or life changes with the children grown. On the other hand, those who weren’t so happy sexually might not be married so long.”

Overall the study was not what researchers expected.

“The really useful message is, don’t make presumptions about the genders, because there’s no way to be sure you’re going to be right in any way.”

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/07/07/study-men-need-cuddles-too/

Survey Shows Men Need to Cuddle, Women Value Sex

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