More than two million couples will be married in the U.S. this year. Roughly half of those couples will end up either divorced or feeling trapped in an unhappy marriage.
Further, according to the General Social Survey, nearly two-thirds of all U.S. adults are in some form of committed relationship (49% married living together, 11% partnered living together, 5% married or partnered living apart).
Bad relationships can take a tremendous toll on the physical, psychological and emotional health of the couple as well as any children they may have, not to mention the financial costs associated with divorce.
That’s why we’re creating Couplewell, an innovative, results-driven media company who’s mission is to reduce the high failure rate of marriages and other committed relationships by helping couples maintain a healthy sex life, along with the intimacy it creates.
Downward Spiral of the Desire Gap
While some relationships can certainly survive and even thrive with little or no sexual activity, experts agree that sex serves as a powerful bond in long-term adult relationships. Sex fosters emotional intimacy, connection, togetherness and, for some couples, a spiritual sense of “oneness”. In the case of monogamous relationships, it’s ultimately what makes the relationship between partners different from any other they have. The challenge is that, for a whole host of reasons, sexual desire for one’s partner will ebb and flow throughout the duration of a long-term relationship.
Anyone who’s been with a partner for an extended period of time is familiar with the “honeymoon phase.” This is that euphoric period – typically the first 18 to 24 months of a relationship – when the couple are effectively drunk with love, and, as a result, are almost always on the same page when it comes to sex.
As hormone levels begin to settle, however, and the novelty of the relationship wears off, differences in libido between partners inevitably emerge, especially as the partners’ sex drive is impacted by everything from health issues to major life events to physiological changes that occur naturally with age.
Ultimately, if not acknowledged and addressed, this “desire gap” will, at best, leave a relationship much more vulnerable to the challenges of life that arise outside the bedroom, and, at worst, set in motion a vicious downward spiral in which resentment sets in, communication breaks down, intimacy erodes and one or both partners consider looking elsewhere to satisfy their physical and emotional needs.*
The Couples Wellness Company
At Couplewell, we’re committed to helping couples bridge this desire gap. We aim to educate and inform individuals about all aspects of sexual wellness and place sex and intimacy into the proper context of a successful long-term relationship. We’ll do this by drawing on and helping to make sense of the latest and most relevant research in behavioral science, psychology and human sexuality. We’ll offer insights and advice from experts in sex, relationships and marriage as well as from ordinary people who have compelling personal stories to share. And, we’ll guide users in applying practical tips, methods and other solutions proven to help foster physical and emotional intimacy in a relationship.
But Couplewell is not just a company. We’re building a community for anyone in a romantic relationship who wants to make that relationship better, whether you’re hoping to rescue a marriage that’s failing, reinvigorate one that’s become stagnant, or simply hoping to ease your way past a speed bump early in your relationship. Ultimately, our goal is to inspire and empower couples to build a relationship in which sex is one of its strengths rather than a source of friction.
From freshly coupled millennials to time-stressed new parents to empty nesters looking to reconnect, Couplewell is for every person who cares about making their relationship the strongest, sexiest, and happiest it can be.
*According to the GSS, 20% of men and 13% of women reported that they’ve had sex with someone other than their spouse while married. And, this is the narrowest definition of cheating, which doesn’t account for sexual activity other than intercourse outside of marriage or emotional affairs.