Generation Z is going against old expectations about youth and sex life and, instead of spending nights on end having sex, they embrace tiredness and prefer a good night’s sleep.
The EduBirdie platform spoke to 2,000 adults from Generation Z (generation born between 1997 and 2012), concluding that 67% would choose to sleep well instead of having sex.
The preference for rest comes ahead of other priorities, such as professional security (64%), personal success (59%), friendships (50%) and time alone (46%).
The data is presented as a sign of a generation that is more deliberate about intimacy, but the investigation also blames the fact that energy and time increasingly seen as scarce resources.
According to the survey, most say they discuss boundaries before sex and feel confident saying “no” to sexual activity. It’s a more planned decision and less impulsive, related to the desire to take control over one’s own rhythm and routine, also points to the same survey.
Julia Alexeenko, pop culture and media analyst associated with EduBirdie, interprets the trend as the product of two combined factors: on the one hand, a conservative reaction after periods of greater liberalization; on the other, a socialization increasingly mediated by applicationsrather than physical meeting spaces. Intimacy, in this reading, becomes more negotiated and less automatic or spontaneous.
Furthermore, at a time of financial, professional and academic pressure, for many zoomersgoing out is no longer just fun: it’s money, time, availability and emotional patience, while sleeping doesn’t imply any of that. When you squeeze it, the “sex or eight hours of sleep” dilemma seems easy to solve for many.
It is worth remembering that previous studies and surveys have already recorded a increased sexual inactivity in young adults, including among young men, and a reduction in sexual frequency in general.
But like other investigations, this most recent one does not point to a prudish generation, but often to sexting and less conventional sexual behaviors (which allow you to sleep for eight hours, preferably).
