Is social media ruining your sex life? Take our quiz to find out if your habits spell doom for your chance at romance
If your sex life has lost its sparkle your Snapchat addiction could be to blame...
SOCIAL media and smartphones are great for staying in touch with mates – but are they wrecking your love life?
A new study reveals how sites such as Facebook can spell doom for a relationship.
It found people who immediately connect with a new romantic interest on social media are more likely to have short-lived romances.
And further studies suggest three-quarters of women in committed relationships feel smartphones interfere with their love lives and reduce the time they spend with partners.
If your sex life has lost its sparkle, take our quiz — put together by sex and relationships coach Dami Olonisakin — to see if you should be swapping Flickr for foreplay.
❶ A WITHHELD number calls during sex with your partner. You:
a) Answer it. You are waiting for your BFF’s Snapchat.
b) Ignore it. You are approaching the tantric zone and want to stay there.
c) Ignore it until the third time it goes off. There’s nothing like a phone call from your mum to ruin the mood.
❷ You have been dating and intimate for six months but he hasn’t posted any photos of you on Instagram. You:
a) Talk about how you think the Beckhams’ social media model of expressing love is perfect, completely natural and something that more couples should do.
b) Take photos of you both together and tag him. It is the social media equivalent of a nudge in the right direction.
c) In the words of Frozen, let it go. He is attentive in person, so who cares about social media?
❸ Your partner has been flaky with his messages lately. You:
a) Stalk him online, log the delays on a spreadsheet and ask him to explain it when you can prove how often he has his device in his hand.
b) Change your ringtone to Bobby Brown’s Two Can Play That Game and leave longer gaps between your own replies.
c) Put it down to one of the things that makes him who he is.
❹ How often do you monitor your partner’s social media pages?
a) I don’t need to – I have alerts set up for posts on all of their five profiles.
b) Sometimes. Isn’t that what queues are for?
c) Never. I’m not even sure what their online handles are.
❺ How regularly do you sext with your partner?
a) Including the ones I send from the bathroom at work? About four times a day.
b) If I’m wearing matching underwear, which is about five times a week.
c) Do pictures of blowing a kiss count?
❻ Do you look at your phone notifications instantly after sex?
a) Yes, it’s the new post-coital cigarette.
b) Only if I can do so without being seen.
c) Why Snapchat if you can snuggle?
❼ Do you use your phone to record exciting moments between the sheets?
a) I’d wear a GoPro during sex if I could get away with it.
b) Occasionally, but having only one hand free isn’t my idea of fun.
c) Never. You know what happened to Kim Kardashian’s sex tape, right?
❽ Do you often fantasise about your Instagram crush?
a) Yes – it’s not weird that I’ve picked out names for our kids, is it?
b) Sometimes. It’s my “happy place” when I’m bored.
c) No, I don’t even know them.
❾ Do you pester a new partner for nude photos?
a) Sure, it’s like swapping phone numbers.
b) Sometimes. I can tell how into me they are by how fast they send them.
c) No. Nudity is for the boudoir, not the tablet.
❿ How does your Instagram feed make you feel about your body?
a) Horrendous. If I see another ripped set of abs, I’m joining a monastery/convent.
b) Y’now, a bit inadequate but I bet they’re all filtered.
c) What, there is more than just what other people are eating on Instagram?
Your results and what they mean...
MOSTLY As
Step away from the Snapchat: When did you last enjoy intimacy without having your phone in your hand?
If you reach for it after sex, obsess about sexting and swipe right more often than you go to the gym, it would be best to simply ignore social media for a while.
It can enhance a sexual experience if used in the right way but this is too much.
Have days where you are away from your device for periods of time and you will soon see that being in the moment is sexier than just texting about it.
MOSTLY Bs
Tweet-ally perfect: You have the balance spot-on.
Social media is not messing up intimate moments but make sure it doesn’t impinge on your sex life too much.
Use it for inspiration but know when to put down the phone.
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MOSTLY Cs
Sex up your social media: You are missing a trick by not using your phone at all while in the bedroom.
Texting your partner during the working day can be a good kind of foreplay.
If you worry about making a sex tape, there are storage apps which act like a safe and cannot be accessed in the event that your phone is hacked or stolen.