Lockdown boredom has led to quite a bit of googling and with physical contact put on hold for much of the last year, a lot of the content being searched has been around sexual health, sex tips and relationships.
From Mars took a deep dive into 2020 search data to uncover exactly which sexual questions the US has been researching and have revealed the result allowing us all to be a fly on the wall of households across the nation.
Marriage Counseling
Let’s face it, couples spent a lot more “quality family time” together over the past year and a half. While for some it was refreshing, for others, it proved the perfect storm. From Mars found that searches for “marriage counseling” spiked starting in April, with the added stress of lockdown potentially being a driving factor behind this. Between July and October, leading British law firm Stewarts logged a 122% increase in divorce application enquiries compared with the same period last year. And there didn’t seem to be any age group that was spared from the stress. A 2020 survey by The Senior List, a website dedicated to studying aging, found that while the majority of seniors claimed COVID had not changed the relationship with their partner, 17% reported experiencing a negative impact.
Sex
As we entered the new year, the resolution to get in shape seemed to be just as strong as ever, but with trips to the gym out of the question, many turned to the bedroom for exercise. Despite that surge in martial counseling searches, starting in January, there was also a jump in the search for ‘how many calories does sex burn?’ It seems people were keen to explore all avenues to burn off any festive indulgences. Whilst volume dropped going into February, it has still received the highest number of searches since August of last year.
Ghosting & Gaslighting
All of that increased bedroom activity didn’t necessarily lead to happily ever after as ‘What is ghosting’ is on track to be the fastest rising term of 2021, with January & February seeing an 80% uplift when compared with November & December. Ever been told you’re imagining something to the point you think you’re going crazy? That’s gaslighting. That question… ‘What is gaslighting?’ was the most searched for around relationships, with over 1.5 million people turning to Google for an answer.
Chlamydia
The most searched sex question of 2020??
‘What are the symptoms of chlamydia?’
Despite the lockdown, marital stress and being ghosted, the sexually transmitted disease got a record 2.5 million searches. Searches reached their peak in September of 2020, coinciding with easing of lockdown measures across the country.
Now that life is opening up even more, it will be interesting to see what comes next. If the past is any predictor, with the roaring 20’s following the Spanish flu, we could be in for quite a ride.
From Mars
Digital Health Clinic For Men
Online health clinic providing a safe and confidential way for men to obtain access to medically proven treatments without the awkward visits to the doctor’s office.
