Is Real Love Dead? Here’s Percentage Of Americans Who Say Yes

Is romance on life support? A new survey says a growing number of Americans think so.

Nearly 30 percent of adults believe real love is a thing of the past — and a majority say they’ve actively stepped back from dating or physical intimacy as a result.

Nearly 30 percent of adults believe real love is a thing of the past — and a majority say they’ve actively stepped back from dating or physical intimacy as a result.

In the nationally representative survey of 2,000 adults, 24 percent said they want a break from sex, with reasons ranging from a desire for emotional closeness to needing time to reconnect with their own needs.

A full 52 percent say they’ve previously taken an extended “sex sabbatical,” averaging about six months.

Of those who stepped away, 53 percent said it actually made them appreciate sex more — while just 11 percent felt the opposite.

The findings come from research conducted by Talker Research in partnership with LELO.

Those choosing to stay single seem mostly fine with it: 69 percent of single Americans said they’re content on their own, and 55 percent said they’d rather fall in love with life than with someone else.

A growing number of singles are focused on the present, not some future fantasy.

Nearly half say modern relationships are too preoccupied with long-term expectations, and 59 percent said a relationship simply isn’t what they need right now.

Still, not everyone’s abandoning connection. Respondents said just 37 percent of intimacy has to do with sex — while 57 percent say it’s about emotional understanding. About 76 percent said they show intimacy in other ways, including holding hands, cooking, cuddling, complimenting, and even brushing their partner’s hair.

Yet for many, sex still matters: 54 percent say it helps bring people closer romantically, and 44 percent of those in relationships said theirs wouldn’t last a year without it.