"Grace J. couldn't have predicted what would happen to her life when she took a break from social media to support her partner, but she was delighted by the result. "His therapist recommended less screen time to help his insomnia," she said. Gradually, the pair started connecting more intimately. "We cuddled more, talked more ... and two weeks in, we had sex for the first time in almost a year.""
"Such comparison is human nature, according to Mindy DeSeta, a sexologist and sexuality educator at the dating app Hily. The problem is, she said, "W hen we compare ourselves to a snapshot of another person's life, we always come out on the bottom." And when you feel blah about yourself or your relationships, you're likely to feel depressed about sex, too. "Sex is between the ears, not just the legs," DeSeta said."
""The perfectly curated social media feeds prompt our brain to create an elaborate story behind each photo and twist our perception of what 'sexy' looks like, making us give up our authenticity," DeSeta said, even if we know that those images have been edited. "We still want to look and feel as sexy as the filtered model in the viral photos.""
Social media use amplifies social comparison and lowers self-esteem, which can reduce sexual desire and increase risk of sexual dysfunction. Curated feeds and fitspiration content foster poor body image and disordered eating, disrupting sexual arousal and pleasure. Unrealistic portrayals of attractiveness change perceptions of what is 'sexy' and encourage people to abandon authenticity. Mental health effects such as anxiety and self-doubt further impair sexual functioning. Reducing screen time can improve sleep, foster more communication and physical closeness, and help restore intimacy, arousal, and relationship satisfaction.
Read at HuffPost
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