Why your sex drive could sky rocket during summertime

Ever wonder why so many people go on honeymoon in a warmer climate? Sure, the scenery’s nice, but there’s something more to it than that.

The mystery baffled more than a few scientists, who decided to do several studies to get to the bottom of why our libidos seem to love warmer weather. One study, conducted by Patrick Markey, an associate professor of psychology at Villanova University in Pennsylvanian, decided to look at the changes in sexual word searches people do on the Internet over the year. His research spanned four years, and showed a distinct rise in keywords searches related to finding dates, prostitutes, and pornography in June and July.

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Studies on birth, STD diagnoses and abortion rates also indicate that more sex is happening during the summertime. So what is it about that time of year? Dr. Oz explains that our biology may be partly responsible. We all have a gland in our brains called the pineal gland that secrets melatonin, which is the chemical that helps us sleep, but also blocks our sex hormones. In the summer/warmer months, sunshine decreases our melatonin levels, and the pineal gland responds by increasing our sex drive. Lower levels of melatonin can also increase ovulation and sperm count.

Markey, the conductor of the sexual keyword search study, believes it also has something to do with how we interact with more people in warmer weather. He told Live Science, “It’s something about being around more people, or being around people more often, that makes us more interested in sexual activity.” Rather than in the cold months when we all hibernate in our homes, in the summer months we go out and mingle much more often, thus increasing our chances for an illicit encounter, if you will.

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You’re probably spending a lot more time in the sun as well. Sun exposure not only increases your vitamin D levels, it raises your serotonin levels as well. Aside from making you happy, serotonin is directly connected to your arousal center, as is dopamine which, surprise surprise, is also elevated when you sit in the sun all afternoon.

It suddenly makes perfect sense why so many people plan beach vacations with their significant others — aside from the photo ops, the constant sun and warm temps are working their sexual magic on you. So if you’re feeling those urges more this month than back in March, embrace them, because they’re totally natural. Just remember to be safe, and enjoy those summer nights.