The Eroticism Shortage
FamilyThe Eroticism ShortageThe therapist Esther Perel believes that the sex recession isn’t just about statistics.By Faith HillIllustration by Ricardo Tomás. Source: DeAgostini / GettyJuly 24, 2026, 7:30 AM ET ShareSave A little more than 20 years ago, Esther Perel was not yet an author or a podcast host. She was simply a psychotherapist with an observation: Many of her clients were in loving, supportive romantic relationships—and they weren’t having good sex, or any at all.
- ▪FamilyThe Eroticism ShortageThe therapist Esther Perel believes that the sex recession isn’t just about statistics.By Faith HillIllustration by Ricardo Tomás.
- ▪Source: DeAgostini / GettyJuly 24, 2026, 7:30 AM ET ShareSave A little more than 20 years ago, Esther Perel was not yet an author or a podcast host.
- ▪She was simply a psychotherapist with an observation: Many of her clients were in loving, supportive romantic relationships—and they weren’t having good sex, or any at all.
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FamilyThe Eroticism ShortageThe therapist Esther Perel believes that the sex recession isn’t just about statistics.By Faith HillIllustration by Ricardo Tomás. Source: DeAgostini / GettyJuly 24, 2026, 7:30 AM ET ShareSave A little more than 20 years ago, Esther Perel was not yet an author or a podcast host. She was definitely not a household name. She was simply a psychotherapist with an observation: Many of her clients were in loving, supportive romantic relationships—and they weren’t having good sex, or any at all. At the time, the prevailing wisdom among psychologists was that a couple’s sex life was a reflection of their bond. Cultivate closeness, the thinking went, and you will feel safe to explore and to shed inhibitions.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Atlantic.
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