By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – Pandemic sex, for many of us, was pretty good. University of Illinois research says we had better sex, more frequent sex, and more creative sex during lockdowns. 

The key, says researcher Liza Berdychevsky, is to see sex as both a leisure activity and as a coping mechanism.

“People who view sex as leisure tend to have a higher level of coping, using all different mechanisms,” she said in an interview. “And they also tend to benefit from (those mechanisms) more than those who don’t use sex as leisure.”

Berdychevsky is an associate professor in the university’s Department of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism. She says – even with a toddler born at the start of the pandemic – she tries to practice what she preaches.

“This is not hyperbole,” she said. “I am also talking about myself. So, for us, coping was essential.”

And some people might lie on surveys to make themselves seem better than they are. Berdychevsky says that’s hard to prevent.

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected].