01/25/2026
When it comes to keeping passion alive and boosting s*xual and relationship satisfaction, we often hear about the importance of introducing novelty. It’s a tried and true method! But how often do you need to try new things, and just how novel do these activities need to be in order to experience benefits?
Research finds that satisfaction increases linearly up to 12 acts of novelty per year before leveling off. So novelty seems to increase satisfaction—but only to a point. There are diminishing returns beyond once per month. But these acts of novelty don’t have to be extreme—they can be as simple as sharing a fantasy, trying a new position, wearing s*xy underwear, or trying a new toy. You don’t have to get super wild (unless you want to!).
Put simply, a mini burst of novelty once per month (or even every other month) can have surprising benefits!
To learn more about this research, go all the way back to Episode 97 of the S*x and Psychology Podcast (link in bio) for my interview with Dr. David Frederick.
*xed *xandpsychology
