8 April 2021
Scientists have confirmed it: sunshine really does make us feel sexier - which is one very good reason to spend time in sunnier climes.
The stereotypes are well-established; the hot and steamy Latino male who thinks about sex 24/7 while the cold, frigid men of Northern European are preoccupied with food and comfort. Now surveys have confirmed what we have suspected all along: warm weather really does boost libido, which is one very good reason why sweat-drenched holiday flings should be part of the holiday brochure cliché.
Sunshine makes us feel sexy which, in turns, signals more frisky behaviour as temperatures rise. And if sex surveys are to be believed (and why lie?) people actually do have more sex in the summer than they do in the winter. In cooler parts of Europe, for example, the cocktail of carefree summer days is intoxicating after dark winters. Add to this skimpy clothing and the merest hint of a heatwave and the outcome is hot, hot, hot!
Certainly, couples in sun-soaked Central and South America, and the Caribbean where temperatures are warm year-round, do appear to have sex more frequently than their cold-weather country counterparts. In colder countries, our interest in sex definitely increases in the sunnier summer months, if sex-related Google searches can be trusted - everything from bedroom toys and sexy outfits to escort services, erotic novels and risqué films is searchedmore frequently in warm weather.
Psychologists confirm that when the sun shines, people feel sexier and suggest the reasons whywe all become hornier in the summer months are a mixture of socialisation, psychological factors, and the physical stuff.
Summer has lots of obvious psychological links to cutting ties, feeling feel and taking a break from the stress of life, so our brains are conditioned to think of summer as a time to ditch responsibility and embrace our hedonistic desires. It isn’t just sex, we also eat mounds of ice cream, drink our body weight in cocktails, and laze about in the sunshine rather than getting household chores done. It is this frame of mind makes us want to get more sexual, too, especially as we’re likely to be more relaxed and free of the niggling stresses that throw a bucket of cold water over our sexual desire.
Our libido is also heightened by visual stimulation in hotter weather when there’s more skin on show - though scientists assure us that there’s more going on than the joy of ice cream and skimpy clothing. Summer sunshine promotes extra release of serotonin and dopamine, two of the most energising and positive neurochemicals in the human brain. Both of these chemicals need to be present in healthy amounts for a healthy sex drive. In summer we don’t just have lots of chemicals, but we are also mentally relaxed and “up for it”. Little wonder more and more people in Northern Europe dream of heading for countries where the weather is hot and sunny 365 days a year!
The additional vitamin D production we experience thanks to exposing ourselves to the sun can help things along, too, as some people will experience an increase in production of oestrogen and testosterone as a result, upping their sex drive.
Exposure to the sun can also drop melatonin levels – handy, as melatonin can block sex hormones. Your sweat might play a role, also, as it helps us to spread our unique, seductive scent, getting potential mates aroused and attracted. Our advice? Embrace the horniness on sunnier climates and enjoy some sweaty fun thanks to your summer sex drive boost.
