Sweden to Study How Good Sex Is in Sweden

Sweden is the land of meticulous recordkeeping that dates back to 1749, which makes it the perfect place to pull off large scientific studies. (The country recently discovered that for the first time in those nearly 300 years it has more men than women.) Now the Swedish government has decided to investigate the sex lives of its citizens in an attempt to get a more complete picture of the country's sexual health, reports the BBC. Health Minister Gabriel Wikstrom, who is 31 and an outspoken proponent of loud sex, says that studying only negative aspects of sex risks "distorting health policy." "Sex is an area that strongly influences people’s health, so we can’t just talk about things like, for example, venereal disease, but also things that are positive and lust-filled about sex."

To be conducted by the Swedish Public Health Agency, the three-year study will span social, cultural, and biological aspects of sex, reports the Digital Journal. In an opinion piece for Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, Wikstrom says the study is in part a response to tabloid newspaper surveys suggesting that Swedes are having less sex than they used to, reports the Guardian: "It’s important to investigate whether that is the case and, if so, what the reason is." Too much stress, or some other factor that would lead people to get it on less frequently, "is also a political problem," he adds, saying it is "paradoxical that, while our whole society seems permeated by sex, in everything from advertising and social media to much of daily life, the topic is still shrouded by shame ... and absent from the political debate." (More on Wikstrom here.)