LGBT. LGBTQ. LGBTQI. LGBTQIA+. As an out and proud member of the queer community, I relish each letter our little web of support brings to the table. Under such a big, welcoming archway of possibility, there are few things more beautiful than queers and our ability to meet one another exactly where we’re at. Most…
March 20th marks International Day of Happiness, and we’re dedicating the latest research to sex and happiness, that is, why sex makes us feel good and what we can do to have sex that makes us happy. What Does Sex Mean? We may ask ourselves, what does sex mean to a woman? What does sex…
Is your partner’s love language verbal affirmation? If so, you should definitely take advantage of World Compliment Day to show them some love. Words are one of the most powerful tools of communication and making your crush, girlfriend, wife, or life partner feel butterflies can start with a simple text. What is World Compliment Day…
Below is your guide for incorporating sex toys, and clit suckers in particular, into partnered sex. Check out our product recommendations, sex positions, and some interesting stats! Having sex with toys Introducing sex toys into a relationship can be intimidating, especially towards male partners who can feel threatened by the idea. The truth is that…
You might think that people who are truly in love automatically know the answer to this question, with no doubt in their minds—and a lucky few do, but for many, this generally isn’t the case. People vary in the extent to which they know and can distinguish between their own emotions. This puts us in…
Introducing anything new into the bedroom (or wherever you’re getting it on) can be nerve-racking as it is, especially when it comes to the stigmas so closely tied to sex toys. We’re here to clear the air and offer some tips for communicating new desires with a partner who may not recognize the potential to…
Romantic love has often been considered a type of addiction or even sickness. There is no doubt that love involves constant thinking about, and activities with, one’s beloved. But is such persistent preoccupation with one person always detrimental? Should it be regarded as a type of addiction, or might it actually be beneficial to the…
Ah the cold, cozy winter evenings. You know the ones we’re talking about, when all you want to do is wrap yourself in huge blanket, relax in front of the fire – and have sex. That’s at least according to a number of U.S. studies regarding seasonal effects on sensuality; winter is when we all…
While problems with our sex life can certainly have a negative influence on our romantic relationships, there are many of us who report having low sexual desire yet are still deeply in love with our partners. How do we navigate loving relationships when we don’t really love having sex? In a new study published in…
What’s the secret to staying madly in love? Is it even possible to feel madly in love with someone after 5, 10, 20 years together? Due to recent neurological research, we are a bit closer to answering these perplexing questions and demystifying the secrets behind achieving intense, lasting, romantic love. A recent study published online…
For some people, sex and intimacy is a way in which to get rid of any dating jitters or awkwardness. And while it may seem kind of like putting the cart before the horse, the act of sex and engaging in pillow talk could actually create a meaningful emotional bond between two people. This is…
Becoming a parent can add a lot of joy, love, and excitement to your life, but it’s not without some personal costs and challenges. As parents begin to shift their time and attention away from each other and toward their children, they often find it difficult to maintain a healthy intimate life. Indeed, research has…
Every single relationship is unique – that’s what makes love so fantastic. Power dynamics, our little shared quirks, the way we approach our love – no two couples are identical when we slice apart how they function. Some love a balance in power, others like when the scales tip in one direction or the other…
While no two couples are the same, there are a few tips and tricks that can definitely make a difference when it comes to having a stronger relationship. And according to Gary Chapman, a doctor of philosophy, counselor, and author, the key to having a lasting relationship is to know, and make use of, the…
Mindfulness is the state of being conscious or aware of something. It’s the ability to actively live in the present moment, being able to accept and acknowledge one’s own feelings, thoughts, and body in such a way that it induces relaxation and creates awareness without being overwhelmed. And while this therapeutic technique is self-focused, it…
Love is a notoriously difficult concept to pin down. What is it? Is it real? Is it measurable? How do we express it? How does it manifest itself? Why does it hurt sometimes? At LELO, we think we have a pretty good grip on what love is, and how it feels. But there have been…
We often discuss the issue on this blog of dealing with a partner with a higher sex drive than you . But what if you are that partner? What advice is there for those of us who’s sexual appetite isn’t being fulfilled? LELO has compiled five tough-love tips to help cope with a higher level…
We’re not saying that these eight sex-themed ideas aren’t ideal for any day! But, if you and your partner or your friends with benefits are coming up on an anniversary of some sorts, these raunchy activities are not only unique and fun, but also super sexy. From staycations and seemingly innocent games turned dirty, to…
Many of us worry about the way our sexual desire fades as a relationship progresses. We’re usually aware of the honeymoon effect, and we expect that the beginning of a new relationship will be sexier and more passionate than the later stages, but regardless, we still wonder if the dip in sex drive is normal.…
Tickle, tease, pleasure and please! The Indulge Me Pleasure Set has everything you need to turn up the heat on a special night with your lover. It contains the NOA couples massager, a silk blindfold and tantra feather teaser. This box is a celebration of taking pleasure to new heights by exploring new sensations. WOMAN…
The LELO UK office has conducted new research to find out with professions across the UK are having the most sex. The results? Farmers top the list of professions having the most sex in comparison to doctors, architects and hairdressers. Professions that have the most sex ranked in order: Farmers Architect Hairdresser Advertising Lawyer &…
Jealousy is the common cold of relationships. Universally dreaded, it’s able to strike anyone at any time—usually unexpectedly, under the least convenient circumstances. And, much like the common cold, while anecdotal remedies abound, no single cure seems to work exactly as expected, every time. Worst of all, no type of person or partnership is immune…
Experience pain during sex regularly can be a major obstacle to the happy development of a relationship. The anxiety of chronic pain can trigger avoidance behaviour, leading us to dodge activity that might lead to sex, like kissing, touching, or intimacy in general. Even going to bed at the same time can fall away due…
Someone once told me that, after a breakup, your heart should only hurt for half the amount of time the relationship lasted. So, a two-year relationship would equal a year of mourning, and a ten-year relationship will hurt for five years. Bullshit. I had relationships which lasted months but hurt for years. There’s a girl…
As an openly gay therapist who specializes at the intersection of couples and sex therapy, a large number of the clients I see are also gay. And one of the dynamics I often bump up against with these clients in particular is the gap between sexual and relational compatibility . Meaning that while a person…
Is masturbation cheating? It’s one of those little questions that shouldn’t matter, and it doesn’t, until it really does. Like, ‘do we have enough oxygen?’ or ‘what happens if you cross a cat with a T-Rex?’ Despite a growing amount of flexibility in our relationships, the majority of our relationships are largely monogamous , and…
There are a lot of questions that arise before thinking about coming out (a metaphor used by the LGBTQ+ community referring to revealing your sexual identity) to your friends, family, workplace, etc. How do I tell them? When? What will they say? Is it even worth it? It’s important to weigh the pros and cons…
Let’s get straight to it… you should be enjoying (more) sex! Whether it’s for all of the added mental and physical health benefits , pleasure, or even to strengthen your relationship. But for couples who don’t instinctively ‘hop to it’ like rabbits every hour on the hour, (do these people even exist?!) intiating sex can…
May was, once again, Masturbation Month , a whole month of masturbatory glee invented in the 90s by an enviously forward-thinking sex toy store in New York. And yet, despite us having a month of open frivolity (and rampant sex toy marketing), the discussion of masturbation in public is still considered taboo. That’s frustrating for…
We get a lot of feedback from our wonderful readers, and as June is Pride month, we are going to be tackling some of the questions we’ve received from our LELO fans in the LGBTQ community. Q: Dear LELO, I’ve been a big fan of your products and blog for a few years, but I…
It seems almost redundant to say “sex brings you closer to your partner.” I don’t think you need us to tell us that. But few of us consider why it makes us closer? What is it, scientifically speaking, that allows sex to enhance intimacy? Luckily, we have our fingers deep in many scientists’ bookshelves, so…
Hi everyone, this is Dr. Zhana, professor of human sexuality in New York University and it’s time to answer some questions about sex and love in this very strange time of the Coronavirus pandemic and the life-saving requirements to physically distance from people. It’s a challenging time for pretty much everyone. It’s challenging for single…
This article was scientifically fact-checked by Human Sexuality expert Dr. Laurie Mintz. We’re in an age of categories. Baby boomers. Millennials. Generation Y. Gen Z. Can we expect a surge of babies in nine months’ time, as a result of the sex* we imagine is happening right now, with all of us self-isolating in the…
What we find attractive changes from person to person. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, after all. But attraction is not based solely on beauty, and there are commonalities that we look for in partners, and that partners look for in us. These are five intangible things you can do today to enhance…
When we think of marriage, we generally think of two people dedicating themselves to the commitment to each other for life. But is that really the way it’s supposed to be? Marriages and relationships haven’t always looked like this. In the past, and to this day in some cultures, marriage looks entirely different, sometimes with…
Alright, alright. I can already hear it: not the wedding bells for the next solo wedding, but the heckling. It’s coming from the comments section, and from trolls on social media. Sologamy, the art of marrying yourself, has long been the butt of many an anti-feminist joke. But if you can, just hear me out.…
Let’s be honest here: when it comes to relationships, long-term can be tough. According to Statista , the marriage rate per thousand people in the U.S. in 2019 was 6.9, a major drop from 9.8 in the 90s. You may be thinking, “Okay, that’s because people are busier, smarter, and have less societal or family…
This article was scientifically fact-checked by Human Sexuality expert Dr. Laurie Mintz. As the invisible virus keeps spreading globally, infecting people and transforming our reality into a new and unknown one, there is another virus threatening us – the virus of anxiety. To fight it, we must mobilize one of our basic survival mechanisms, and…
Polyamory is a relationship dynamic for people who practice non-monogamous relationships with the full and willing consent of all the partners involved. It’s nothing new, and in fact has formed the basis of many societies through history. It’s still the norm in a few cultures today, though in the West it’s generally consigned to religious…
This article was scientifically fact-checked by Human Sexuality expert Dr. Laurie Mintz. We’ve got no choice: This decade will now be defined by the only thing anyone has spoken about for weeks: the new coronavirus. When this period is studied in the future’s history books, it won’t be the advent of commercial space travel, or…