Financial Worries Keeping You From Getting Jiggy With It? Join the Club

According to a new poll from financial aggregate moguls Yodlee, Americans are now thinking about money more than they're thinking about sex. That might be a great thing if everyone was plotting how to spend their fabulous wealth. But no … 62 percent of adults say that they worry about money more than they fantasize about sex. Worse still, 27 percent of men and 28 percent of women in relationships say that financial stresses have adversely affected their sex lives. According to this study, men and women are just as likely to allow stress or worry to impact their sex lives.

Further support for the money-sex connection comes from a Spanish study released last month showing a powerful correlation between high incomes and sexual satisfaction. Based on nearly 10,000 interviews with Spaniards of diverse economic and social backgrounds, the study found that 90 percent of men and women in high-income brackets reported having a healthy and satisfying sex life. This is compared to numbers in the 70 percent range for low-income individuals and couples. In this study, women in lower income brackets were found to be especially affected. Authors suspect that this may be because lower income women were more likely to stay in unhappy relationships. Whatever the reason, it does seem like more money leads to less stress, which leads to better sex.

Now that we know that lowering our stress and worrying about money less will likely improve our sex lives, how do we start? One suggestion is to set aside time with your partner to talk about money. Designate when that time starts and, more important, when it ends. When the money time is up, leave all of that behind and move on to something else. Another great idea when you're feeling stressed or short on time is the 10 second kiss. This is exactly what it sounds like: 10 full seconds of kissing. That's not very much time in the grand scheme of things, but when it's focused on kissing your partner, it's like a tiny vacation and a great way to connect. Some couples suggest splitting a favorite beer or a dessert. This promotes intimacy in a non-sexual way while sharing something you both enjoy. Finding pressure-free ways to spend time together can put you in the mood for lovemaking without it feeling forced. After all, why should rich people be having all the great sex. Sex is free, which means there's enough for everybody!