If you could peek inside the heads of people when they are thinking about sex-at work, on the train, at the grocery store-the things you'd see would probably make you jump right out of your shoes. We are nearly all Walter Mittys of sex-and according to a 2007 study conducted in Spain, those fantasies are good for reality.
The study, conducted by the University of Granada, found that the more time men and women spent fantasizing, the more sexual desire they experienced. Beyond their power of suggestion, sexual fantasies, the study suggests, reduce anxiety about sex. Fantasizing is healthy, no matter what you fantasize about. (Well, almost. Read on.)
Whatever you fantasize about, chances are you're not alone. If you are reading this at work, look around you: assuming you work with adults, 1 in 10 of your co-workers has fantasized about having sex at work. Maybe that doesn't shock you; the Internet, let's say, has desensitized you beyond all belief. But take another look around the cubicles. While the odds an adult has fantasized about having sex at work are around 1 in 10, the odds are greater that they've actually done it. 1 in 8.33 adults, or 12%, has had sex at work. Sex in the supply closet is slightly more likely than merely fantasizing about it. Hand sanitizer, anyone?
Beyond the workplace, some sexual fantasies are more common, and more crowded: 1 in 4.76 adults has ever fantasized about having a threesome, a practice which has been depicted, or at least suggested, in a whole heap of movies and television shows: Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier, and Y Tu Mamá También, to name a few. But how likely is the real thing? The odds an adult has ever had a threesome are 1 in 7.36. Think that's rare? Consider how many 40-plus adults you know-are any of them divorcees? The odds a person 40 - 44 is divorced are also 1 in 7.36.
Office romance and orgy fantasies alike, though, pale in comparison to the prevalence of thoughts of cheating. A full 30% of ever-married or cohabitating adults, or 1 in 3.33, have not cheated on their partner but have fantasized about it. So let us leave you with one more thought:
1 in 3.33. Those are the same odds a married or cohabitating adult owns a firearm.
More from Book of Odds:
- Sex and the Single STD Test
- Number of Sex Partners is a Closely Held Secret
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The Great Masturbation Debate
- Follow @1inSex on Twitter
- Follow @Bookofodds on Twitter
- Become a Fan of Book of Odds on Facebook
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Posted By: Zachary Turpin
IStock Photo 9171785 © Niko Guido
