Photograph Getty
Forget the sexy underwear and bedroom gymnastics. New UK and Israeli research has uncovered the real secret to keeping your sex life exciting years, or even decades, down the line. Turns out that it’s responsiveness – valuing your partner outside the bedroom and making them feel unique – that is the key to sustained sexual desire. The study also found that the ‘intimacy-desire paradox’ – which holds that long-term intimacy actually inhibits sexual desire, as the need for security clashes with the sense of novelty that triggers lust – may not apply in circumstances where there is responsiveness. Why? Because responsive partners are actively demonstrating they’re willing to invest in the relationship, making their partner feel special and valued – and, ultimately, someone who makes you feel special is worth pursuing sex with! So make it your mission to tune in – it should turn the heat up.