blogs.wsj.com/wealth/2007/01/23/the-rich-libido
Homeward Bound January 23, 2007, 9:50 am The Rich Libido Money, as the Beatles once said, cant buy you love. But according to a new survey, wealth can bring you better sex.
The survey polled nearly 600 men and women with net worths of more than $30 million and a mean net worth of $89 million. While not scientific, the survey is large for such a wealthy group and offers a rare glimpse of the sex lives of today's rich. The survey polled men and women who were the financial "principals," meaning they were the primary decision makers in their households. What this tells us is that, on the whole, more money equals more magic in bed, says Prince & Associates founder Russ Prince. The survey's most-surprising findings relate to the impact that money has on the sex lives of women. More than 80% of both the men and women surveyed were married, although the women's wealth was independent of their husbands'. Among the respondents, nearly three-quarters of the women surveyed (about 150) said they'd had affairs, compared to about 50% of the men. While the male numbers are in keeping with findings for the broader American population, the figure for women is almost twice as high as the national average, according to sex researchers. That compares to 88% of women who said more money gave them better sex, which they defined as "higher quality" sex. "This tells us that the women as a whole receive more sexual benefits from wealth than men," says Ms Grove. The women in the survey were almost twice as likely than their male counterparts to have "more adventurous and exotic" sex lives than they did before they were wealthy. They were also more than twice as likely than men to be members of the "mile high club," meaning they've had sex on an airplane. Fully 72% of the female respondents said they were mile-high-club members, compared to 33% of the men. One reason that wealth would equate to better sex, he says, is that money helps alleviate many of the daily stresses that can inhibit a couple's sex life. "I see in my practice that financial stress can have huge impacts on the libido and can cause general dissatisfaction," he says. "When you strip away those elements of financial hardship and stress, that can make for better sex. The wealthy also tend to travel more, leading to more-exotic and adventurous sex lives, Mr Kerner says. "There is just more stimuli and luxury in their lives, so that would increase libido." As for the women, the researchers said the findings show that money brings a welcome sense of control and power. "Women find wealth to be extremely empowering," says Ms Grove. "They have let their confidence and sense of purpose in other areas feed their sex life. Mr Kerner says the increased sexual activity by wealthy women doesn't reflect the "pool boy" syndrome commonly portrayed in the media: bored young trophy wives having affairs with household help. Today's rich women are powerful businesspeople who feel secure in having relationships outside their marriage -- mostly with professional colleagues. "We're not talking about the woman who's home with two kids and who's dependent on her husband," Mr Kerner says. "Those women are more likely to worry about the consequences of having other relationships." He added that especially for women, sex is closely linked to self-esteem. And since wealth usually brings greater self-esteem, it can improve a woman's sex life. "For the minute percentage of women who are that wealthy, this wealth can be a big ego booster and allow them to feel very comfortable and relaxed about sex," he says. "They have a strong sense of identity and they know they don't have to be inhibited about communicating their needs. It's about the confidence and power and opportunity that comes with having a lot of wealth."
I predict it will show women's increased infideltity is due to dissatisfaction with the marriage, not to "higher self esteem" and that the cause of the dissatisfaction is the age-old attraction to men who are perceived as "providers." Hard to live up to that when your wife is worth $90 million.
The women in particular sound as if they were taking revenge for having been ignored a goodly part of their lives in un -satisfactory marriages. Even Ingemar Bergman's portrayal of marriages have more reality than this survey.
The copy that you receive by email per the link in the article is little more than a summary of some of the findings with no disucssion of the methodology. We have no idea, for example, whether the respondents were self-selected (indeed some text suggests that they are). The WSJ should know better than to report "results" like these without digging deeper.
I don't find it interesting at all that wealthy women benefit more than wealthy men. Money puts a woman in control, which is hard for a woman to do in bed considering the man's physical superiority. This gives them a chance to be dominant and control the situation/circumstances.
Do the wealthy have more exotic sex lives because they're wealthy? Or are they wealthy because they're more venturesome in all aspects of their lives -- including their intimate part?
I think it shows that despite all the money they have, they're still lacking a fulfilling marriage. Unfortunately, the amount of time and effort it takes to acquire such wealth often comes at the expense of a person's marriage and family.
"Richistan: A Journey Through the American Wealth Boom and the Lives of the New Rich," to be published in June. His column appears every Friday in The Wall Street Journal.
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