How often you need to have sex to be in a happy relationship, apparently.

Image: 20th Century Fox.

Thought the happiest couples are those who have sex a lot? According to new research, that might not be the case.

A new study published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology suggests that it’s more about consistency than frequency. So despite everything pop culture tells us, more sex won’t necessarily make you happier (sorry) – and the “perfect” amount is probably a lot lower than you think.

Research from three different studies published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science Journal, found that for people in relationships, the benefits of wellbeing dropped off at frequencies greater than sex once a week.

Yes, one sex session a week is the magic number to feel happy and secure in your relationship. Take that, nymphos. (Watch: Does penis size really matter? Post continues after video.)

“Although more frequent sex is associated with greater happiness, this link was no longer significant at a frequency of more than once a week. Our findings suggest that it’s important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner, but you don’t need to have sex everyday as long as you’re maintaining that connection,” said lead researcher Dr Amy Muise..

Researchers looked at the data of over 30,000 heterosexual Americans over 40 years across the three studies and discovered that the association between sexual frequency and wellbeing is only significant for people in relationships. (Post continues after gallery.)

Interestingly, the team didn’t find any differences depending on study participants’ age, gender or the length of time they’d been in the relationship.

So while consistent intimacy and connection with your partner is key – trying too hard to achieve a “set” amount can actually be counterproductive.

“It’s important to maintain an intimate connection with your partner without putting too much pressure on engaging in sex as frequently as possible,” stressed Dr Muise.

Do you agree with this latest research?