The reason people are having less sex than in the 90s

Your grandmother may not have had the distinct pleasure of posting a selfie on Instagram, but she probably had more sex than you when she was your age. Sound like a fair trade?

A recent poll, into the sex lives of more than 15,000 people in the U.K., suggests that sexual activity has dropped off of many of our to-do lists.

According to the British poll people are having less sex today than they were even a decade ago. On average, people are having sex only five times a month. That’s down at least one hot-n-heavy session from previous years. Two polls, conducted in the early 90s and the late 90s, declared six times a month as the national average.

Conducted by NatCen Social Research and the University of London, the study examined the sex lives of more than 15,000 people between the ages of 16 and 44. Yes, even teenagers are having less sex, which may come as good news to many.

Money worries and employment-related anxiety may be two of the buzz-kills affecting lovemaking.

"People are worried about their jobs, worried about money. They are not in the mood for sex,” says lead researcher Cath Mercer of the University of London.

Smartphones and tablets may also be affecting our libido — especially as many of us are attached to them with increasing frequency.

"People have tablets and smartphones and they are taking them into the bedroom, using Twitter and Facebook, answering emails."

Some of these devices may be acting as a sexual surrogate in a sense. The study indicated that some are seeking sexual gratification online via naughty sites. (Parenthetical aside: ew.)

Do we want to have more or less sex? Is watching Netflix in bed preferable to cuddling with our beloved? At the moment, it seems the answer is, well, sort of. If that brings us greater life satisfaction, then well done. If not, maybe it’s a good idea to power off the devices and focus on more intimate relations.

What do you think is the main reason people are having less sex? Tell us in the comment section below.