Cleaning is sexy!
Gleaming countertops, neatly folded laundry and a perfectly alphabetized DVD collection may just be proof that couple's got a spark: turns out that "women and men who 'work hard' also 'play hard'," says a study published Oct. 9 in the Journal of Family Issues. (Read more at The Wall Street Journal or the Calgary Herald.)
Basically, the study of 6,877 married couples found that the more housework a couple does, the more often they have sex.
The research found that for go-getter types, working hard in one area - like housework or a paid job - produces more energy for other.
Wives in the study spent an average 41.8 hours a week on housework - defined as cleaning, preparing meals, washing dishes, laundry, driving family members around, shopping, yard work, maintaining cars and paying bills - compared with 23.4 hours for husbands.
The split for paid work was unequal too - with wives working 19.7 hours on paid work compared to husbands' 33.8 hours a week. The couples, on average, had sex 1.6 times a week, or 82.7 times a year.
So, should you race home and start cleaning? Not exactly.
According to lead researcher Constance Gager, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal, it may just be that these hard-working types make sex a priority. It may also be that working together for a common goal, like maintaining your house, shows shared priorities and strengthens the couple's bond.
But, a clean home for the weekend still can't hurt your chances for a little couple time. So plan to pick up that vacuum and check out our cleaning tips:
Clutter buster: To scrap or save kids' artwork?
Organize your closet in 10 minutes
Making peace with messier lives
Clear clutter for a more peaceful home
Mix up your own homemade cleaning supplies
5 ways to cheat on holiday cleaning
Cleaning house for the holidays
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