Want a happy marriage? Have sex just once a week!

Couples who have sex just once a week, are the happiest, says a new study.

When it comes to a couple's happiness, an active sex life is important, but they don't have to go at it like rabbits.

Couples who have sex just once a week, are the happiest, says a new study.

Based on surveys of more than 30,000 people over 40 years researchers have found that there is no significant link between having sex more than once a week and greater happiness.

Lead researcher Amy Muise from University of Toronto-Mississauga said the findings suggest it is important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner, but you don't need to have sex everyday as long as you're maintaining that connection.

The study was not designed to identify the causal process, so does not tell us whether having sex up to once a week makes couples happier or being in a happy relationship causes people to have more frequent sex (up to once a week).

In addition, these findings were specific to people in romantic relationships and in fact, there was no association between sexual frequency and wellbeing for single people, she noted.

Despite common stereotypes that men want more sex and older people have less sex, there was no difference in the findings based on gender, age or length of relationship.

The study findings don't necessarily mean that couples should engage in more or less sex to reach the weekly average, but partners should discuss whether their sexual needs are being met, Muise said.

The study appears in Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Photograph: Rob Wright/Creative Commons