<p>Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotion. Such people get upset and irritated easily, have mood swings and worry frequently, reports the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. <br /><br />People who score high in neuroticism are less satisfied in romance and relationships, and when they get married, they are more likely to divorce. <br /><br />High levels of neuroticism are more strongly associated with bad marital outcomes than any other personality factor, said Michelle Russell and James McNulty of the University of Tennessee, study co-authors.<br /><br />But sex in marriage seems to make people happy. Other research has shown that sexual interactions improved the couple's mood the next day, according to a Tennessee statement. <br /><br />Russell and McNulty wanted to know if frequent sexual activity would erase the negative effects of neuroticism. <br /><br />They followed 72 newlywed couples over the first four years of their marriage. Both spouses reported - separately and privately - on their marital satisfaction and sexual frequency every six months.<br /><br />On average, couples reported sexual intercourse about once a week during the first six months of marriage and about three times a month by the fourth year of marriage. <br /><br />Couples were considered satisfied when they said that they "have a good marriage" and "my relationship with my partner makes me happy". <br /><br />Marital satisfaction was not associated with sexual frequency - neither at the start of the marriage, nor four years later. <br /><br />But Russell and McNulty found one important exception. For spouses with high levels of neuroticism, frequent sexual intercourse improved their marital satisfaction. <br /><br />The effect of frequent sexual activity was enough to completely wipe away the "happiness deficit" that neurotic spouses usually have.</p>
<p>Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotion. Such people get upset and irritated easily, have mood swings and worry frequently, reports the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science. <br /><br />People who score high in neuroticism are less satisfied in romance and relationships, and when they get married, they are more likely to divorce. <br /><br />High levels of neuroticism are more strongly associated with bad marital outcomes than any other personality factor, said Michelle Russell and James McNulty of the University of Tennessee, study co-authors.<br /><br />But sex in marriage seems to make people happy. Other research has shown that sexual interactions improved the couple's mood the next day, according to a Tennessee statement. <br /><br />Russell and McNulty wanted to know if frequent sexual activity would erase the negative effects of neuroticism. <br /><br />They followed 72 newlywed couples over the first four years of their marriage. Both spouses reported - separately and privately - on their marital satisfaction and sexual frequency every six months.<br /><br />On average, couples reported sexual intercourse about once a week during the first six months of marriage and about three times a month by the fourth year of marriage. <br /><br />Couples were considered satisfied when they said that they "have a good marriage" and "my relationship with my partner makes me happy". <br /><br />Marital satisfaction was not associated with sexual frequency - neither at the start of the marriage, nor four years later. <br /><br />But Russell and McNulty found one important exception. For spouses with high levels of neuroticism, frequent sexual intercourse improved their marital satisfaction. <br /><br />The effect of frequent sexual activity was enough to completely wipe away the "happiness deficit" that neurotic spouses usually have.</p>