Which would you rather give up—sex or smoking?
Hard to believe, but a recent British poll found that most European smokers would rather go without sex for a month than cigarettes. That got us wondering what Health's non-nicotine-addicted, mostly female readers prize more than sex. The answers, according to a Health.com survey: a full night's sleep, shopping, and exercise. We can understand how sleep got the top vote—we know American women are tired. But shopping and workouts? Come on.
However, at least one expert believes these responses make perfect sense. Sandra Leiblum, PhD, director of the Center for Sexual and Marital Health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and co-author of Getting the Sex You Want, says many women feel they can count on having more fun at the mall than in bed. "Every time you go shopping, there's a different adventure," Leiblum says. "For a lot of women, sex has become boring and predictable." Point taken—but jogging? "Exercise produces a rush of endorphins, and afterward women feel good about their bodies," Leiblum explains. "With sex, they may feel more self-conscious."
Overall, Leiblum says your answers reflect many women's attitudes toward sex. "There's a notion that people are having a ton of sex, and they feel deprived if they don't have it." In reality, she says, "giving sex up might be a relief for some women." (A recent survey by the Kinsey Institute found that 24 percent of the women surveyed felt "worried" or "distressed" about sex.) Luckily, you don't have to go that far. If medical concerns aren't causing your bedroom boredom, the old advice still holds true: Take stock of your needs, and start talking. Hopefully, you'll end up like Health reader Maureen, who wrote, "There's nothing I'd give up sex for."
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