Have a holly, jolly Christmas (with lots of sex)

[Scooter]

Birth rates soar in September because Christmas cheer makes people have sex. But why?

Christmas is a time to spend with family, eat delicious food, and — according to a new study — make babies.

Research published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports found interest in sex peaks during the Christmas season, which could explain why birth rates soar nine months later, in September. Researchers analyzed data from 130 countries and used Google Trends to look for sex-related search terms throughout the year. They found a huge spike in people Googling sex terms right around Christmas.

But the team also wanted to know what about this holiday made people more aroused. They used Twitter to do a “sentimental analysis,” looking for words associated with emotion (think “love” and “thankful”).

“We found that, around Christmas, people are generally happier and they’re also less anxious and more calm,” said co-author Dr. Luis Rocha, a professor of informatics at Indiana University. “Every time you see these moods arise you see an increase in sex searches on Google.”

The study was done in part to debunk the popular hypothesis that an abundance of September babies could be explained by biological factors, rather than cultural ones. The biology hypothesis suggests the human reproductive cycle is based on Earth’s orbit, and that you’re more likely to conceive around the winter solstice. If so, you would expect people in the southern hemisphere to be more excited about sex in June, when their winter solstice happens. But Rocha says this wasn’t the case at all — the only significant sex-Googling spike happened around Christmas.

“I think we conclusively show it’s not a biological adaptation to the solar cycle because even with Australia and Brazil we see the same holiday effect and they’re in opposite phases at any given time,” he said. “So it can’t be a biological adaptation to fewer hours of sunlight.”

And if that wasn’t enough to put the solar theory to rest, the researchers also found sex interest peaked during Eid al-Fitr, the celebration marking the end of Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr doesn’t fall on the same day each year, yet sex interest shifted according to the holiday.

“This shows how data from social media can actually disprove a hypothesis that was the most well established one in biology,” said Rocha. “Now we just need to find out what the social triggers are that increase biological reproduction around these times.”

What about Thanksgiving, you ask? Researchers were puzzled to discover this pattern didn’t exist for any other holidays. In fact, in Canada, December and January have some of the lowest birth rates of the year, which fall roughly nine months after Easter. Yet most holidays have a lot of overlap — food, family, and time off work. So why is Christmas one of the only holidays that instills baby fever? Rocha says he doesn’t know, but has some theories.

“I suspect it’s because Christmas is very family-centred and specifically child-centred in terms of gift-giving and the story of baby Jesus,” he said. Christmas also marks the end of a cycle because it’s at the end of the year, so maybe this just makes people feel more calm.”

On a broader scale, Rocha says the study could help public health researchers determine the best times to have public awareness campaigns encouraging safe sex, especially in countries where birth-rate data doesn’t exist. He also says this type of research shows how social media can be an effective tool in studying many cultural trends — not just what drives people to reproduce around Christmas.

[Lord Jim]

A lot of people also take time off from work at this time of year...

You need something to do to fill the time...

[Joe Guy]

I think it's because people get drunk and don't use birth control.

[RayThom]

I think it's because people get drunk and don't use birth control.

I'd say that's the root cause.

Now if people would only keep their clothes on and not show their junk so readily...

... problem solved.

[MGMcAnick]

Hmmmm...

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/dvs/provi ... 015dec.pdf

[Lord Jim]

As is so frequently the case when trying to explain a given sociological phenomena, there is likely no one explanation that accounts for it...

An unusual amount of free time, (there are only so many games of Scrabble you can play...) the involvement of alcohol and/or other inhibition reducing drugs, and the fact that this is a "sentimental" holiday...

all play a role...

ETA:

That having been said...

Hit it Burl:

[RayThom]

With lots of sex? Yes, it's just not Christmas without the Sex Pistols. Am I right, people?

They sure put the "Oh, Christ" in Christmas.

Hit it Sid...