Here's How Talking About Money Really Affects Your Sex Life

When you think of major turn-ons in the bedroom — exploring fantasies, dirty talk, fun toys — talking about money certainly doesn't make the list.

But a poll conducted by Money of 500 millennials and 500 boomers suggests money may play a bigger role in the bedroom than we realize. The finding: Couples who reported greater trust and fewer fights about money were more likely to have hotter sex lives.

"Specifically, people who reported trusting their partners 'completely' or 'very much' with money were far more likely to say their sex life was hot or very good than those who said they trusted mates 'somewhat,' 'not too much,' or 'not at all,'" Time reported. Simply being on the same financial page — regardless of how much you make — might boost a couple's sex bottom line.

A non-judgmental approach to money: What's the link between money and sex? Dealing with money means navigating sensitive personal feelings and requires tons of communication. And the data suggests that millennials are taking an especially open-minded, non-judgmental attitude toward the piggy bank.

While 88% of millennials in the survey valued "financial responsibility" in their partners, millennials were much more willing to overlook the financial woes of their partners early on in the relationship. 

That may be in part because we simply have less of it, having worked fewer years. But as a generation, we're also swimming in a record-high average student loan debt of $35,000. Only 20% of millennials surveyed by Money said student loan debt over $50,000 was a dating deal breaker, while 30% of boomers said it was. On the flip side, 62% of millennial survey respondents were down with merging finances before marriage, compared to 43% of boomers. 

Financial planning as the new aphrodisiac? While the stereotype that people are attracted to others with money lingers on, this poll suggests a different story. If we're all mostly in debt, there's no room for financial bullshit anyway. Plus, that kind of open communication can — and should — extend into the bedroom. It's not just being on the same page about the spending itself, so you're not stressing about your significant other's Seamless habit while going down on them. It could also mean being more upfront and open about sex itself.

Hey, if you can handle talking about those Venmo charges, discussing what you want in bed might not feel so hard after all.

h/t Time