Map Shows States With Happiest—and Unhappiest—Sex Lives
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Where you live may have a bearing on your sex life, according to a new analysis of Americans' satisfaction with their sex lives.
Sex education experts at Joy Love Dolls analyzed Americans' online search behavior, looking at terms including "how to improve sex life," "low libido" and "libido booster."
By comparing monthly average search volumes with state populations, they produced a ranking of the states with the highest relative interest in improving sexual health and intimacy.
Top 5 States with the Worst Sex Lives
Wyoming ranks number one for sexual dissatisfaction, with 50.37 average monthly searches per 100,000 residents. The state's most popular search terms include "how to increase male libido" and "libido booster," pointing to a widespread concern about having a low sex drive.
Coming in second is Vermont, where residents averaged 48.14 related searches per 100,000 people, with queries like "how to spice up sex life" and "how to improve libido" trending.
Other states rounding out the top five with the most related search terms were North Dakota (47.20 searches per 100,00 people), Alaska (44.43) and Utah (43.21).
Meanwhile, the five lowest-ranking states for search interest, suggesting higher satisfaction, were:
Texas – 30.12 (related searches per 100,000 people)
– 30.12 (related searches per 100,000 people) Mississippi – 30.08
– 30.08 Oklahoma – 29.70
– 29.70 New Mexico – 29.52
– 29.52 Wisconsin – 28.70
Politics in the Bedroom?
The study also looked at another factor—the political leaning of states. Of the five states with the lowest satisfaction in the bedroom, four voted Republican in the 2024 presidential election, raising questions about the influence of cultural values, education policy, and political ideology on personal relationships.
Amy Nguyen, a sex education expert at Joy Love Dolls, said: "Democrats tend to be more open about the topic of sex education as opposed to Republicans, which may have impacted the final ranking. This study demonstrates that there is a clear correlation between a lack of sex education and sexual dissatisfaction in certain regions."
Despite this, four of the five states rated highest in sexual satisfaction also voted Republican in 2024, with New Mexico as the outlier.
Nguyen also highlighted how stigma—particularly surrounding male libido—can silence critical conversations in relationships.
She concluded: "To boost communication levels and improve intimate relationships, there need to be active conversations surrounding sexual satisfaction."
Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about sex? Let us know via science@newsweek.com.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
23 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Sneaking into the Spy Museum's new vault
As with most museums, a vast majority of those objects are not on display. And until a few weeks ago, they were far away, stored at a location outside the capital -- making it a challenge for museum historians to reach the objects for study and preservation. Advertisement In 2020, the museum began consolidating its collection in its new building, a project that it completed this year. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Many of the artifacts in the vault came from one man: H. Keith Melton, a founding board member of the museum, who became one of the world's renowned spy collectors. He is not a former intelligence agent himself; rather, he made his money as one of the country's largest McDonald's franchise owners. A condition of his donation, which he first pledged in 2016, was that the collection would eventually be moved to the museum itself, Melton said. 'To properly care for, maintain, catalog, access the artifacts, they needed to be on the premises,' Melton said in an interview. 'You can't deal with it remotely. Artifacts need care and feeding and vigilance, and they need to make sure they're not deteriorating ." Advertisement The collections team at the International Spy Museum recently opened the doors to its den of secrets, offering a reporter and photographer a look at tools of the trade that, like much of spycraft itself, are kept out of public view. There are roughly 4,000 books in the vault, most of them donated by Melton. The most treasured of these is a World War II-era briefing book created by MI9, a wartime branch of British intelligence, to get Americans up to speed on its top secret espionage innovations. It includes designs for cameras disguised as cigarette lighters, coat buttons and gold teeth concealing compasses, and maps printed on clothing. Laura Hicken, the museum's collections manager, estimated that there were fewer than 20 copies of this book in the world. Among the museum's newest acquisitions are original courtroom sketches by William Sharp, an illustrator who died in 1961. One is of Rudolf Abel, the Soviet spy who operated undercover in the United States for almost a decade and who was portrayed by Mark Rylance in the 2015 Steven Spielberg thriller 'Bridge of Spies.' In the drawings, Sharp portrayed Abel as looking stressed. 'For us, where so much of our history is told through gadgets and weapons and concealment devices, this is so incredibly personal and such an intimate look into the consequences of the things we cover,' Hicken said, referring to the sketch. (The museum, which is recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's largest espionage museum, has come under criticism in the past for sanitizing the unethical behavior of spy agencies.) Advertisement Another set of Sharp-penned sketches is from the trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were arrested in 1950 for espionage and executed in 1953. The drawings feature Judge Irving R. Kaufman, who sentenced them to death, and an unguarded Ethel Rosenberg, whose culpability has come under doubt in the last decade. The Spy Museum has also received gifts and loans from international governments. The South Korean government, for example, lent items said to have been seized from a North Korean spy who crossed into the south. Among these is a pen that, when clicked a certain way, would have been capable of injecting a paralyzing agent into an unsuspecting victim, as well as a code sheet that spies could use to communicate with someone equipped with a counter code sheet. The German government lent an army propaganda rocket from the early 1940s. These were launched over Russian soldiers on the battlefield, where they would eject pamphlets encouraging them to abandon Josef Stalin. According to a translation, the pamphlets inside the rocket say: 'Red Army men! You will not experience peace, you will not return to your home. Stalin will not allow this because he knows that any Red Army soldier who has been in Europe will pose a threat to the Stalinist system.' Sitting on top of a large shelf is a couch that belonged to Robert P. Hanssen, a former FBI agent who spied for Moscow off and on for decades. Hanssen died in 2023 in his Colorado prison cell. Melton also persuaded Hanssen's family to donate other items, including a suit and watches. The museum has no shortage of knives, some of which are hidden in spatulas and boots. But there are less subtle blades, including one developed by the Office of Strategic Services, a precursor to the CIA, to be a combat weapon. Advertisement 'There are a lot of challenging elements to our collection because so much of it was meant to kill or destroy or distract,' Hicken said. 'We have powders that were meant to be tipped into gas tanks that would essentially erode the gas tank very quickly so you could disable somebody's vehicle.' Also in the vault are several items that once belonged to Tony Mendez, the celebrated CIA officer who was played by Ben Affleck in the 2012 Academy Award-winning movie 'Argo.' Mendez was particularly known for disguises, exfiltration and forgery. One drawer in the vault includes wigs he designed and a pair of shoes with lifts inside to make the wearer appear significantly taller. In addition, there's a self-portrait of Mendez, a former board member of the museum, depicting several aspects of the 'Argo' story, which involved Mendez's plan to rescue American diplomats trapped in Iran in 1980. 'Everything in our collection is two things,' Hicken said. 'The purse actually conceals a camera. The pen conceals a microdot viewer. The shoe has a knife in it.' This article originally appeared in
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Newsweek
Amazon Recall Update: Fatal Warning Issued Nationwide
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has issued recall notices for four products sold online—principally via Amazon—due to serious safety hazards. The recalls underscore concerns about safety oversight for products marketed by third-party sellers on e-commerce platforms, particularly for children's products with potentially hazardous defects. Three of the four recalled products pose potentially life-threatening hazards. Newsweek contacted CPSC via online form on Friday for comment. List of Recalls Magnetic Floating Stackers toys The stackers contain magnets that can loosen and detach from the toy, posing an ingestion hazard to children. The stackers contain magnets that can loosen and detach from the toy, posing an ingestion hazard to children. CPSC/CPSC The recalled magnetic floating stackers toys violate the mandatory standard for toy magnets because they contain magnets that can loosen and detach from the toy, posing an ingestion hazard to children, the CPSC said. When high-powered magnets are swallowed, the ingested magnets can attract each other or other metal objects and become lodged in the digestive system. This can result in perforations, twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, blood poisoning and death. Remedy: replace Recall date: July 31, 2025 Units: 22,850 (Additionally, about 1,977 in Canada and about 190 in Mexico) KidKraft Farm to Table Model Play Kitchen Children's clothing can get caught on the plastic or metal hooks posing a strangulation hazard. Children's clothing can get caught on the plastic or metal hooks posing a strangulation hazard. CPSC/CPSC If young children are climbing on the counter or crawling through the opening at the back of the play kitchen, their clothing can get caught on the plastic or metal hooks meant to hold toy kitchen accessories such as play pots and pans, posing a strangulation hazard. One death has been reported. Remedy: Repair Recall Date: July 31, 2025 Units: About 192,000 Amazon Basics Premium Foam Eurotop Mattresses The recalled mattresses violate a mandatory flammability standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard and risk of serious injury or death to consumers. The recalled mattresses violate a mandatory flammability standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard and risk of serious injury or death to consumers. CPSC/CPSC The recalled mattresses violate a mandatory flammability standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard and risk of serious injury or death to consumers, the CPSC said. Remedy: Refund Recall Date: July 31, 2025 Units: About 2,700 An Amazon spokesperson told Newsweek in a statement on Friday regarding the recalled mattress: "Our customers' health and safety is of the utmost importance to us. Amazon notified customers alerting them of this Safety Notice and provided clear instructions for mattress disposal, as well as refunds for their purchase. Customer safety remains our top priority throughout this process." Leatherman Charge Plus and Charge Plus TTi Multi-Tools The tip of the knife blade does not fully fold into the handle, posing a laceration hazard. The tip of the knife blade does not fully fold into the handle, posing a laceration hazard. CPSC/CPSC CPSC said that the tip of the knife blade does not fully fold into the handle, posing a laceration hazard. Remedy: Repair Recall Date: July 31, 2025 Units: About 17,000 What People Are Saying Amazon says on its recall site: "Our Product Safety Team proactively investigates and addresses reported safety complaints and incidents to ensure customer protection from potential product-related safety risks. We closely monitor public recall alert websites and receive notifications from vendors and sellers. Upon discovering a product recall, we immediately halt affected product offerings and promptly inform both customers and sellers involved about the recall." What Happens Next Consumers who purchased recalled products are urged to discontinue their use immediately and follow instructions for returns, replacements or refunds as detailed by the manufacturers or sellers. Anyone with potential safety concerns is advised to review the official CPSC recall database and consult Amazon's recalls page for continued updates. The CPSC also encourages consumers to report any problems with recall processes directly on its website.
Miami Herald
a day ago
- Miami Herald
China State Media Reveals New Nuclear-Armed Submarine
A Chinese sailor deployed aboard a nuclear-armed submarine vowed that his unit would fire missiles "without hesitation" upon receiving an order, according to a report by state media. The report by China Central Television also claimed this was the "first disclosure" of a new Chinese submarine conducting a long-distance mission in an undisclosed maritime location. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment via email. China possesses more than 370 naval vessels, making it the world's largest combat fleet by hull count, including six Type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, each armed with 12 nuclear ballistic missiles, according to the Federation of American Scientists. All Type 094 submarines are homeported at Longpo Naval Base on Hainan Island in southern China, which borders the South China Sea, and represent China's "first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent," the Pentagon assessed in its report on Chinese military power. Ballistic missile submarines are the most survivable leg of China's nuclear triad, alongside land-based ballistic missiles and nuclear-capable bombers, because they are extremely difficult to detect while conducting patrols that maintain a constant at-sea deterrent presence. A Chinese submarine, unidentified in the report, was seen departing a naval base at an undisclosed location, according to footage aired by China Central Television on Thursday. Australia-based naval analyst Alex Luck told Newsweek the submarine is one of six Type 094 boats in service, suggesting the footage was likely taken at Longpo Naval Base. It remains unclear whether the submarine carried out its mission in the South China Sea. While the footage offered a rare glimpse inside the submarine and how sailors operate it, certain interior sections were blurred, likely for operational security reasons. It was not immediately clear whether the interior scenes were filmed while the submarine was at sea. "Today is a peaceful era, but tomorrow may mark the start of war. On the day real war begins, we will wait only for the order—and then launch this missile without hesitation," said Ma Xiaohui, a sailor assigned to an unidentified submarine unit. The Type 094 submarine can be armed with either JL-2 or JL-3 ballistic missiles, which have ranges of 4,488 miles and 6,214 miles, respectively. The JL-3 missile is capable of targeting portions of the U.S. mainland when launched from China's littoral waters. As part of Chinese President Xi Jinping's accelerated development of nuclear forces, China's next-generation nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine, the Type 096, is expected to enter service in the late 2020s or early 2030s, according to the Pentagon's assessment report. In comparison, the United States currently operates a fleet of 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines, each armed with up to 20 Trident II D5LE nuclear missiles. According to the Federation of American Scientists, this missile has an estimated range of 7,456 miles. The Pentagon, in its report on Chinese military power: "The [People's Republic of China]'s next-generation Type 096 [nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines] will reportedly be armed with follow-on longer range [submarine-launched ballistic missiles]." The Federation of American Scientists, in its report on Chinese nuclear weapons: "Whenever they are in the South China Sea, China's [nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines] typically appear to be accompanied by a protection detail, including surface warships and aircraft (and possibly attack submarines) capable of tracking adversarial submarines." It remains to be seen whether the Chinese military will disclose details of other nuclear forces in the coming days as it celebrates the 98th anniversary of its founding on Friday. Related Articles New Chinese Warship Debuts in Contested WatersMap Shows What Trump Tariff Rates Are For Each CountryAmerica Needs a Digital Dollar | OpinionIran Reacts to New US 'Assault' 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
