Summer Lovin' or Summer Myth? What the Data Says About Sex in Summer
THE QUICK ANSWER
There's no serious study showing that people have more sex in summer. The data that does exist points to Christmas instead: it's when people search for sex online the most, and it's where the birth peaks nine months later come from.
What about testosterone? It shifts a little over the year, but so little (less than 3% in a study of almost 200,000 men) that it explains nothing. And the studies can't even agree on which month it goes up.
What summer does bring: more free time and more plans, so more opportunities. But also heat, worse sleep and more sweat down there. So it's less getting lucky and more getting sweaty.
Is it the tan? The free time? Hormones sent haywire by the sun? Or the fact that after two mojitos everyone looks a lot better?
It's a very popular belief: summer is the official season of rumpy-pumpy and stress-testing headboards. July and August arrive with rising temperatures... and a spike in horizontal activity.
But do people really do the deed more in summer, or is summer all mouth and no trousers? We went digging: hormones, dating apps, birth rates and a pinch of beach-bar sociology.
IN THIS ARTICLE
Hot to trot in summer? What points to yes
There are arguments in favour of summer hanky-panky. Some have science behind them, others have the rigour of a "What's your flirting style?" quiz in a teen magazine:
- The sun comes up (and so does everything else...). More daylight, more life outdoors and, as a knock-on effect, a better mood. There's also a theory doing the rounds: the sun raises vitamin D, vitamin D raises testosterone and testosterone raises... whatever it raises. Spoiler: the chain snaps in the middle (we'll show you where just below).
- Pure sociology. Fewer clothes, more tanned skin, more free time, more parties and places where nobody knows you. The setting invites you to let your hair down... or let it all hang out.
- The holiday effect. Routine, schedules and the alarm clock disappear, and with them a lot of the barriers we wear the rest of the year. You're more relaxed, more open to new things and more up for going with the flow.
All very reasonable. Now let's see what the numbers say.
OK, but does the sun boost testosterone?
A little, sometimes, and not necessarily in summer. Testosterone does fluctuate somewhat over the year, but the studies can't even agree on the peak month:
- In Copenhagen, 27 men followed for 17 months peaked in June and July.
- In Tromsø (Norway), across 1,548 men, the lowest point was June and the highest was October and November.
- In Israel, across 27,328 men, the highest levels came between August and October, and the lowest in March.
And the difference is small. In the UK Biobank, with almost 200,000 men, the monthly average moved between 11.86 and 12.18 nmol/L: less than 3% difference.
What about vitamin D? Meta-analyses of supplement trials don't agree: one from 2019 found no effect on total testosterone, and another from 2024 saw a small rise in total testosterone, with no change in free testosterone, which is the one your body actually uses. Getting from there to "more in the mood" is a leap no study has made.
If you've noticed your drive has been on the floor for months, that's not something sunshine or self-prescribed vitamin D pills will fix. Talk to your doctor.
What points to no
Flip the record over and the B-side has a few arguments that let the air out of the myth's inflatable flamingo:
- The heat. It leaves you melted like an ice lolly, hugging the fan, with activity limited to your thumb (for the remote or your phone). And if you're not sleeping either, even worse: in a study of young men, one week of sleeping 5 hours a night lowered their daytime testosterone by 10-15%. Far more than any season moves it.
- Tinder says no. The busiest day of the year on dating apps doesn't fall in August. It's the first Sunday in January, aka Dating Sunday: New Year's resolutions, Christmas hangover and a lot of sofa time.
- Babies aren't made in summer. A study that cross-referenced Google searches for sex with births in countries in both hemispheres found the peaks around the big cultural holidays: Christmas in Christian countries and Eid in Muslim ones. Nine months later, more babies. In Spain, the months with the most births in 2021 were July and September, meaning babies conceived in October and December. Peak cuffing season: sofa, blanket and Netflix.
- People are doing it less and less, whatever the season. In the US, adults were having sex about 9 fewer times a year in the early 2010s than in the late 90s, and those born in the 90s are having the least. Blame porn? Not according to that study: the bigger factors were more people without a steady partner and couples doing it less. The sheets just aren't getting the workout they used to.
Bottom line: we haven't found a single serious study showing that people get busier between the sheets in summer.
Summer sex myths vs. what the data says
| The myth | The reality |
|---|---|
| The sun sends testosterone through the roof | It varies by less than 3% over the year, and studies don't agree on the peak month. |
| Vitamin D gets you in the mood | Supplementing it barely moves total testosterone, and no study has shown it boosts desire. |
| Summer is peak dating-app season | The busiest day on dating apps is the first Sunday in January. |
| Babies get made in August | Conception peaks fall around Christmas and other major holidays. |
| Heat turns you on | Heat and poor sleep work against you: one week of sleeping 5 hours lowers testosterone by 10-15%. |
So... why are we all so convinced it's true?
Because summer has the best marketing department on the planet. It's the only time of year when we all feel a quiet pressure to live something extraordinary: an unexpected romance, an unforgettable night or, at the very least, a sheet-clawing story worth telling when you get back.
And those are the only stories that get told. Nobody posts that they spent three days lying flat with the fan pointed at their crotch, argued with their partner over who'd go down for ice, or went to bed at ten because they had to be up early to get their towel on a sunbed.
When all you see is everyone else's highlight reel, the conclusion writes itself: everyone (and their dog) is sh*gging, and they've all had a wilder summer than you.
So if you shouted "Bingo!" this summer, congratulations. And if the wettest thing you got was the waistband of your swim shorts after the last dip, that's fine too.
Summer's biggest myth isn't more bump and grind. It's thinking everyone's at it... and you're left behind.
What really changes in summer: the heat down there
There's one summer fact that doesn't need a study: your groin sweats. Heat, friction, underwear stuck to you and the wet swim shorts you keep on until dinner. To stop the area smelling like a beach-bar fryer by 8 pm:
- Wash it with water and a mild soap, without scrubbing it like a burnt frying pan. Once a day is enough; twice if you've sweated buckets.
- Dry it properly, folds included. The moisture that hangs around is what causes trouble.
- Breathable underwear, and get out of wet swim shorts as soon as you can.
- If there's itching, redness or stinging that doesn't go away within a few days, that's not a cosmetics issue: book an appointment with your doctor.
And if you want an extra hit of freshness, that's why we made Giggleberries: a moisturising cream with deodorant and a gel texture, designed for the male intimate area. It moisturises, refreshes and helps control odour. It can't promise you a busier summer, but it does help you show up fresh if the moment comes.
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Frequently asked questions
Do people have more sex in summer?
There's no serious study that proves it. Summer brings more free time and a busier social life, which can mean more opportunities, but also heat and worse sleep, which work against it. Online search data and birth data point to Christmas as the peak time for sexual activity, not August.
What time of year do people have the most sex?
According to a study published in Scientific Reports in 2017, online interest in sex spikes around major cultural holidays: Christmas in Christian countries and Eid in Muslim ones. Births nine months later follow the same pattern. In Spain, the months with the most births in 2021 were July and September, which correspond to conceptions in October and December.
Does hot weather lower your sex drive?
It can, indirectly. Heat tires you out and disrupts sleep, and too little sleep lowers testosterone: in young men, one week of sleeping 5 hours a night reduced daytime levels by 10-15%. If you're sleeping well and the heat isn't knocking you out, there's no reason anything should change.
Does sunlight increase testosterone?
Very slightly. Testosterone varies over the year, but in the UK Biobank, with almost 200,000 men, the difference between months was less than 3%. On top of that, studies don't agree on when it rises: some find the peak in summer, others in autumn.
Does vitamin D increase libido?
There's no evidence it does. Trials with vitamin D supplements show mixed results on total testosterone (a 2019 meta-analysis found no effect and a 2024 one found a small rise), and none has shown that it increases sexual desire. If you think your vitamin D or your desire is low, that's one for your doctor.
How do you prevent groin sweat and odour in summer?
Wash the area once a day with water and a mild soap, dry it well (folds included), wear breathable underwear and take off wet swim shorts as soon as you can. For extra freshness there are creams with deodorant made for the male intimate area, like Giggleberries. If you have itching, redness or stinging that lasts several days, see your doctor.
Keep reading
- Male intimate hygiene: how to look after the area without overcomplicating it.
- My bilirubin's up, my testosterone's down
- Tinder, expert mode: the online dating dictionary.
- The sex education we never had
- Sun and sunscreen myths: Siwon's summer Q&A.
And how did your face come out of summer?
If it's ended up like a pool float in late August, the quiz will tell you where to start. It takes a minute.
Siwon
We do cool right!