What's better than sex?

Published May 4, 2010

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By Liz Hull

We live in an age when agony aunts, glossy magazines and TV "experts" are constantly giving us advice on how to please our partners in bed.

So it may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that more than half of British couples are more interested in a kiss and a cuddle on the couch than passion between the sheets.

A survey has found that while 98 percent of Britons rate sex as important, 53 percent say they would rather spend an evening kissing and hugging.

Sex was also judged to be less important to a successful relationship than commitment, companionship and a sense of humour.

The poll of 1 000 Britons was commissioned by health care firm Bayer to look at the role touch plays in people's lives.

Six out of 10 of those surveyed said being touched by their partner had a positive effect because it helped to relax and de-stress them. The majority - 88 percent - cited stress, tiredness and arguments as the main obstacles to intimacy with their partner.

More than half - 51 percent - blamed the rise of social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace for the lack of physical interaction between couples.

The survey showed that women were often reluctant to initiate sexual contact, with nine in 10 admitting that they left it to their partners to take the lead in the bedroom.

Sexual health expert Dr Diana Mansour said the survey showed that many women were reluctant to talk about lovemaking - with 54 percent saying they were too embarrassed to discuss contraception with their partner.

"Contraception can certainly have an impact on intimacy," Mansour said. "If you're not taking the right contraceptive, one that is in tune with you, then you may experience nuisance side effects which can alter sexual desire."

Outside the home, four in 10 people said they were less tactile than they used to be, with 36 percent doing nothing more than shaking hands with business contacts. One in three surveyed said they had no physical contact at all in the business environment.

The poll found people from the country's north-east think most about intimacy with a partner, with seven in 10 thinking about it daily. - Daily Mail

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