Does Intimacy Count as Sex?

Kevin Weinfurt, PhD, is the vice chair for research in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. His work measures sexual function and satisfaction and how sexual well-being can be impacted by illness and other changes in health throughout our lives. Weinfurt talks about why he believes doctors tend to avoid the subject of sex and how he and his colleagues hope to change this. He also talks about the role that intimacy plays in sexual wellness—i.e., holding hands, making eye contact, and simply touching. And he explains some of the psychology around our relationship to our sex lives, like why sex can be so important to some people but not to others.