Dividing her time between researching sexuality as New York University’s Adjunct Professor of Psychology and educating the public through her podcast, The Science of Sex, Zhana Vrangalova uncovers some of the assumptions and testimonies behind what good sex is. Her areas of interest range from casual and group sex to non-monogamous and non-heterosexual relationships. She runs The Casual Sex Project where people share their hook up stories. In this interview, Vrangalova goes into the ins and outs of what makes for good sex, scientifically.                                                                                                                        

Our August Issue is on The Good Life. From your research and reading, what is the role of sex in the good life? How much does sex matter in having a good life?

Sexuality is important to a lot of people, but not to everybody. Unlike other drives that we have, like food, water and sleep, we don’t die if we don’t have sex. And people come with different sex drives, ranging from the asexual to the highly sexual. And of course, the more sexual someone is, the more important that aspect is to their overall life satisfaction. But overall, research shows that sexual fulfilment is an important contributor to a sense of well-being and happiness.