There are some things couples wouldn’t mind trying to boost their libidos, like drinking red wine or eating avocados. But what about getting turned on by sweat or watching boring TV shows? YourTango rounded up the strangest sex boosters we’ve ever read.
According to science, people get turned on by some pretty weird things. Like the smell of paint.
It seems like every week there’s a new study out claiming to boost your libido. Some of them make sense, but a lot of them are flat-out bizarre. We rounded up 10 of the strangest sex boosters, in case you were looking for a new way to get in the mood.
1. Watching a Boring TV Show
A recent study found that people who have a television in their bedroom have twice as much sex as those who don’t. Of course some of this is due to dirty movies, with 37 percent of partners admitting to this guilty pleasure. However, 29 percent said being in the middle of a boring show would lead to sex in order to get some real entertainment.
2. Getting a Raise
In International Journal of Manpower a study took 6,317 responses from men and women in Greece on how often they had sex during the week. They then looked at how much they were earning. Turns out people who earned 5 percent more than others were also having sex four or more times a week. Knowing you don’t have to worry about bills being paid sure gives you more free time for other activities.
3. Planning an Adrenaline-Rushing Date
Turn date night into a libido-booster. Stray away from the average movie and dinner date night by planning something that will get your heart pumping with excitement and some fear in order to get some action afterwards. A study published in Archives of Sexual Behavior found that more exciting activities, like zip-lining or surfing, will boost your nervous system and heartbeat into a way that it would be if you were sexually aroused.
4. Skipping Perfume or Cologne For These Specific Scents
A British survey says women like their men to smell like petrol, paint, printer ink, or leather. May want to fill up the car before your next date. Women, on the other hand, were more attractive when they smelled like lipstick, baby lotion, or a roast dinner. Yes, a roast dinner.
5. Eating Avocados
It’s that time of year where you see avocados popping up everywhere, and now you have a good reason to take advantage of it. Turns out they have an aphrodisiac effect that will make your salad better, but your sex life, too.
6. Wearing Red
If you want to seduce a man, then it’s time to find your own version of Jessica Rabbit’s dress. A study found that men rated ladies who wore red as more attractive and sexier.
7. Drinking Red Wine
This will definitely be tough for white wine drinkers, but it turns out, red is also a libido-booster when it comes to wine. A study published in Journal of Sexual Medicine found that ladies who drink red have higher sex drives than ladies who prefer any other alcoholic beverage. Got that? Wear red, drink red.
8. Reading
Break away from visual erotica by cracking open a book. Dr. Susan Kellogg, a medical sexologist, suggests bibliotherapy, which promotes sexual behavior through reading. She explains, “There’s some research out there that suggests that fantasizing increases pro-sexual chemicals such as dopamine and testosterone, so bibliotherapy can be a powerful tool on multiple levels for a woman who is experiencing low sex drive.”
9. Sweating
It’s gross, but true. Women are aroused by their men’s sweat. The scent of it actually increases a women’s level of cortisol, the stress hormone, according to a study found in The Journal of Neuroscience.
10. Looking at a Picture of Your Significant Other
It sounds so simple, but it’s effective, says science. A study found that looking at a picture of your lover for 30 seconds or longer will make your brain produce dopamine and then boost your libido. How easy is that?