{"id":40053,"date":"2023-03-15T06:03:52","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T05:03:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/?p=40053"},"modified":"2023-03-15T06:04:53","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T05:04:53","slug":"practicing-gratitude-can-improve-your-sex-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lelo.com\/blog\/practicing-gratitude-can-improve-your-sex-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Practicing Gratitude Can, In Fact, Improve Your Sex Life!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever considered how gratitude impacts your sexual satisfaction and relationship? Gratitude is a common mindfulness practice that focuses on finding good things in life and feeling grateful for them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What recent research has found is that feeling grateful about things in life not only improves overall happiness levels but can also greatly affect your relationship satisfaction and sex life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Curious to learn more? Well, let’s dive into the practice of gratitude and how to use it to make your sex life better.<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Use Gratitude Practice To Improve Your Sexual Satisfaction<\/span><\/h1>\n

What Are Mindfulness and Gratitude Practices?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Both gratitude and mindfulness are wellness practices that have great health benefits. Gratitude is an intentional practice of noting good things happening in your life. And mindfulness is about being aware of your thoughts and feelings and being present at the moment. They both go hand in hand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Research has shown that gratitude in particular has many health benefits. And we’re not talking about mental health benefits (even though there are quite a few like <\/span>better sleep<\/span><\/a> and reduced stress and anxiety levels), but actual physical health benefits. <\/span>One study<\/span><\/a> found that keeping a gratitude journal improved diastolic blood pressure in people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s How Gratitude Affects Your Sex Life<\/span><\/h2>\n

Surprisingly (or maybe not), research shows that gratitude practice has a positive impact on your sexual satisfaction in a relationship. In a <\/span>2020 study<\/span><\/a> published in a <\/span>Social Psychology and Personality Science<\/span><\/i> journal, researchers looked into the relationship between expressing gratitude in a relationship and a couple’s sexual satisfaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What the researchers found was that there is a direct link between the two. Practicing gratitude improves a couple’s sexual communal strength (aka SCS). Sexual communal strength in a relationship indicates how motivated partners are to fulfill each other’s sexual needs. It’s also <\/span>an essential factor<\/span><\/a> in a successful long-term romantic relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, practicing gratitude makes you more inclined to be receptive to your partner’s sexual needs, which is the key to sexual satisfaction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Practicing gratitude and appreciation for your partner is crucial and lack of it can negatively affect your relationship. <\/span>A study published in 2019<\/span><\/a> in the <\/span>Journal of Family Psychology<\/span><\/i> found that a lack of gratitude by one partner in a relationship drastically decreases overall satisfaction with the relationship.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Drs. John and Julie Gottman of the University of Seattle have studied relationships and couples for decades in their “Love Lab.” They agree with the findings in the studies and also propose the idea that a healthy balance between negative and positive emotions in a relationship is essential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There will be negative emotions and conflicts that arise in any relationship. But as long as the ratio stays 1:5 (negative to positive emotions) and partners practice gratitude, appreciation and show love, they will thrive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How To Incorporate a Gratitude Practice Into Your Life<\/span><\/h2>\n

So, let’s talk about what small things you can incorporate into your routine to start practicing gratitude to improve your sexual satisfaction. You can pick and choose which things sound interesting to you, or try them all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Start a Gratitude Journal<\/span><\/h3>\n

Keeping a gratitude journal where every single day you write down a few things you are grateful for can be a very easy way to start incorporating mindfulness practice into your life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can start journaling with tools like <\/span>Five Minute Journal<\/span><\/a> or write <\/span>Morning Pages<\/span><\/a> if you want to include more reflection about your day. However, even starting as small as writing down three things you are grateful for today on your phone can be enough to start building a habit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even if you are upset about something, or if you feel like you had a horrible day, you can always find something, no matter how small, that you can appreciate. Think about small things like:<\/span><\/p>\n