Survey: ‘Most exciting place’ for sex is in a car

Fred Meier, USA TODAY

Forget the mile-high club — in the U.S. Sex Census national survey released  by condom maker Trojan found that 48% of Americans say “the most exciting place (they) have had sex ” is in a car.

Vehicular sex easily beat the second most titillating location, which was (go figure) someone else’s bed (33%). The survey did not specify whether sex in the car was better in your own or someone else’s ride. 

Sex on a plane, meanwhile, showed up as fantasy rather than fact : When asked where they’d like to have sex but haven’t yet tried, 33% of men picked the mile-high club, while the top choice for women did not involve transportation: It was the beach or sea (26%).

There’s no more about cars, but if you’re curious about some other nuggets in the survey done by StategyOne for Trojan, hit the read more below:

• The average American adult (18 and over) has sex 120 times a year (2.3 times per week) and 76% say they are satisfied, even though 63% say they still they were doing it more often.
• People in the Northeast report having sex most often (averaging 130 times per year or 2.5 times per week), followed by the Midwest (125 times per year / 2.4 times per week), West (120 times per year / 2.3 times per week) and South (114 times per year / 2.1 times per week).
• Among big cities, residents of Los Angeles and Houston have the most sex per year (135 times and 125 respectively), while folks in Philadelphia and Dallas have the least (99 and 104 respectively).
• Residents of Philadelphia may not do it as often, but they had the highest rate of satisfaction among cities (82% satisfied), followed by New York (81%) and Atlanta (80%).
• Married couples are more satisfied (82%) than singles (71%), but do it less (average 109 times per year) than singles (130 times).
• Given the tittering over the twittering by N.Y. congressman Anthony Weiner in recent days, it’s interesting that the survey found that 19% of have engaged in sexting (sexy text messages) and just 10% have discussed sex on Facebook and/or Twitter.

The fine print: Trojan’s Sex Census is based on two studies conducted by StrategyOne from March 15-21, 2011. The first, a national sample of 1,000 10-minute surveys were conducted online among U.S. adults 18+. The results are nationally representative based on the U.S. Census indicators. The survey margin of error is +/- 3.1%. The data were weighted to ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the actual U.S. population according to U.S. Census figures. The second is a study conducted online in 10 major U.S. cities among adults 18+ (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Washington, D.C. Atlanta and Houston). 2,000 10-minute surveys were conducted, 200 per city. The margin of error within each individual city is +/- 2.2%.

Wedding touches, big and small

By Melissa Magsaysay, Los Angeles Times

If you’re in the midst of planning a wedding, you’re in luck: Today’s brides-to-be have a wide range of stylish options.

Let’s start at the top. It might seem like a last-minute detail, but a cake topper can make a wedding cake come to life and, more important, turn a tower of flour and fondant into a personal statement.

Consider the work of paper sculptor Gwen Barba, who creates amazing toppers, made from acid-free paper, containing every last detail of a wedding dress, veil and tuxedo. She’ll even include glasses, dress embellishments and sculptures of your dog(s) if you so desire.

When the champagne and cake are gone, you can still display the modern take on a cake topper. (You can order her toppers at Concarta).

Jennifer Behr makes some of the most beautiful and original hair accessories available, and her bridal collection is no exception. There are dramatic headpieces and veils made of feathers and lace for the bride who likes something just a little over the top and vintage-inspired headbands and clips for the woman who wants a touch of sparkle somewhere in her hair. A whimsical headpiece is also an easy way to add some character to a simple dress and create an unforgettable look. (Her headbands are available at jenniferbehr.com).

And finally, when I first heard about the bridal line BHLDN (under the Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie umbrella), all I could picture were short, reworked vintage dresses that would fit only a teenager and maybe some bridesmaid dresses made from cream-coloured flannel. But not only is the line well-priced, it’s also modern and romantic. The gowns are vintage-inspired and unexpected, and they come in nontraditional colours, such as light gray and a graphic poppy-and-white floral print, as well as more traditional tones. The accessories look more like heirlooms. There are salmon pink sling-backs with a dainty bow at the toe and a simple netted veil with tiny white bows. Prices range from $80 to $4,000.

“Cougar” trend of women chasing younger men a myth

By Stephen Addison, Reuters

 

Madonna and Demi Moore may be fuelling talk of a growing trend for older women on the prowl for younger men but a study on Wednesday said the phenomenon of the “cougar” is a myth, confined to the world of celebrities. 

The study of online dating, by the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), found men and women are still rather traditional when it comes to searching for their ideal partner.

Women generally seek an older and, therefore hopefully, wealthier man, according to the UWIC study.

Men, on the other hand, desire a young and attractive female, and often prefer a much younger partner as they themselves age.

The findings, published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, disputes the “cougar” phenomenon popularized in TV shows and movies like “Cougar Town” starring Courteney Cox and “Sex and the City” of women aged over 40 seeking “cubs.”

Psychologist Dr Michael Dunn of UWIC’s Cardiff School of Health Sciences led the study which involved analysing the age preferences of 22,000 men and women using online dating sites across 14 countries and two religious groups.

“A critically important consideration for advertisers on online dating sites appears to be the age of a potential partner,” Dunn said in a statement.

He said it was a commonly held assumption that with the advent of female financial independence, women were now free to target men of any age group, as securing financial security from older, wealthier males was no longer a priority.

WOMEN NOT SEEKING “CUBS”

“The transference of female desire from relatively older men to relatively younger men, it has been argued, is reflected by the growth of the toy boy phenomenon,” he said.

“The results of our research challenges these assumptions. Although there was some cultural variation in extremes, the results showed clearly that women across all age groups and cultures, targeted males either their own age or older.”

Dunn said a strikingly different pattern of age preferences was evident in men.

Younger men, aged 20 to 25, either targeted females their own age or marginally younger.

But as males aged, they clearly expressed a preference for women increasingly younger than themselves, with this pattern also being cross-culturally consistent.

“These findings are clearly supportive of evolutionary theory,” Dunn added. “A wide variety of evidence has shown that women, when considering a potential long-term partner, focus more than males on cues indicative of wealth and status and these logically accumulate with age.

“Males conversely focus more intently on physical attractiveness cues and these are clearly correlated with the years of maximum fertility.”

A UWIC release added: “Madonna and Demi Moore are said to be influencing a whole new generation of ‘cougar’ women who see much younger men as their goal when looking for a long-term partner.

“But this notion of the ‘toy-boy’ phenomenon is dispelled as a myth which only exists in the world of celebrity rather than reflecting real life.”

The countries involved in the survey were Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, Greece, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Ukraine.

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