‘Post-sex blues’ affect men, too
Research finds both genders may feel ‘emotionless and empty’ afterward
It has long been assumed that men like to roll over and fall into a contented sleep after sex, while women can sometimes feel tearful, irritable and in need of a cuddle. But a new study suggests that men can feel just as melancholy and anxious after lovemaking. The phenomenon is known as post-coital dysphoria (PCD), or the “post-sex blues,” which lasts between five minutes and two hours, and until now was thought to affect only women. However, when researchers from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, surveyed more than 1,200 men from Britain, Australia, the United States, Russia and New Zealand, they found that 41 per cent had experienced the condition at some time in their lives, just five per cent less than among women.
One in five men said they had suffered symptoms within the previous month.
Some men in the study described feeling “emotionless and empty,” as well as “unsatisfied, annoyed and fidgety.”
Some said they could not bear to be touched by their partners afterwards and wanted to be on their own.
Robert Schweitzer, from QUT’s School of Psychology and Counselling and an author of the study, said that men in Western cultures were expected to always enjoy sex, and struggle to admit that it can leave them feeling depressed and argumentative.
“These assumptions are pervasive within masculine subculture and include that males always desire and experience sex as pleasurable,” he said. “The experience of PCD contradicts these dominant cultural assumptions about the male experience of sexual activity. “Previous studies on the PCD experience of females
showed a similar proportion of females had experienced PCD on a regular basis.
“As with the men in this new study, it is not well understood. We would speculate that the reasons are down to biological and psychological factors.”
Some researchers have suggested that the phenomenon can kick in when the feel-good hormones begin to wear off after orgasm. Others believe that the cascade of hormones, which are known to trigger post-coital headaches, could also be to blame. Psychologists also believe that people can feel ashamed or guilty after sex because of cultural hangups.
And, although it might be assumed that PCD was worse for people engaging in one-night stands, the new research found the “post-sex blues” are not linked to intimacy between couples and can affect those in the closest and loving relationships.
In an Australian study published in 2011, a third of women said they felt depressed even after satisfying sex.
The research was published in the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy.
The experience of PCD contradicts these dominant cultural assumptions about the male experience of sexual activity.