One-fifth of guys in their late 20s have zero interest in having sex, according to a new report on the sex lives (or lack thereof) of people in Japan.
The UK’s Telegrpah explained how the report, conducted by the Japan Family Planning Association, surveyed 3,000 people. They found that a whopping 49% of adults had not had sex even once in the previous month. Particularly shocking, though, was the fact that over 20% of men between age 25 and 29 just plain weren’t interested. These gentlemen have been nicknamed “herbivores” due to their lack of interest in, uh, red meat, and the phenomenon of their nonexistenct sex lives is referred to in the media as “celibacy syndrome.”
Shimmy a little deeper down into the cold bedsheets and you won’t find much passion: 21% of the married men surveyed said they were too tired after work, while nearly 16% said they weren’t interested in sex after their wives had given birth. (Thanks, guys!)
For their part, Japanese women aren’t feelin’ it, either The report found that 17.8% of women were too tired from work to make love, while 23.8% called it just plain “bothersome.” (Back in 2013, the same survey found 45% of women ages 16 to 24 “were not interested in or despised sexual contact.” Despised!)Why, you may wonder, is the Japanese government peeking into people’s bedrooms? They’re fretting over population data and the slowdown of births. Currently, a quarter of the country’s population is age 65 or older, the Telegraph reports, and the fertility rate is only 1.41 babies per woman, meaning the population is not on track to replenish itself.
Forget about the population — how does the lack of sex affect relationships in Japan? The Guardian suggests that young adults have thrown up their hands on love, marriage and kids because it’s too difficult to combine two-careers with chidren — and women don’t want to be told they should give up their careers if not by choice. I can’t help but think these young adults are missing out on a beautiful part of the human experience, though. Sex and emotional intimacy don’t always have to go hand-in-hand, but the two make a fine combination. “Celibacy syndrome” may have short term benefits for the career, but it’s not the most fulfilling way to live a life.
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