Study on Music During Sex Finds Americans’ Turn Ons and Turn Offs

Deezer study finds what music turns Americans on and off during sex

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Complex Original

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A new study on America’s musical turn ons and turn offs when it comes to music in the bedroom, er, wherever you may be having sex. And if you think a perfectly curated hook up playlist could actually ruin sex, maybe this study will help you reconsider.

According to digital music streaming service Deezer and sex expert Tracey Cox, people in the study overwhelmingly believed a sexual experience was improved by music, with 30 percent of people saying they were more aroused and 25 percent of people saying music actually made sex better. Music helped diffuse awkwardness when it came to sex, 15 percent of people said.

Over 60 percent of study participants found a song’s rhythm helped improve sex, and an artist’s tone of voice and a song’s melody were also factors.

“Neuroscientists have found people respond more to a beat when it’s played by lower pitched instruments,” said Cox. “Physiologically, people’s bodies love deep bass sounds, which, if loud enough, also produces vibration and make it powerfully arousing.”

That being said you might not be getting down to heavy metal or rap. The study found 45 percent of people called the two genres their biggest turn offs. If you’re looking for tips on what to play, R&B, rock, and pop were the most popular genres for sex, earning 30 percent, 20 percent, and 15 percent of votes respectively. Be warned, though, before you throw on Justin Bieber—48 percent of people said they’d interrupt sex to skip a Biebs song.

So who exactly would people like to listen to during sex? No surprise here, but at 27 percent Marvin Gaye was the artist most likely to set the mood, with his song “Let’s Get it On” taking the top spot as the go to song for sex (what, no love for his sexy version of the national anthem?) Gaye was followed by Lionel Richie and Luther Vandross. Other tunes included in the top go-to songs for sex included Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” and Lil Wayne’s “Lollipop.”

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