January 23, 2007, 9:50 am

The Rich Libido

Money, as the Beatles once said, can’t buy you love. But according to a new survey, wealth can bring you better sex.

A survey released today by Prince & Associates in collaboration with wealth consultant Hannah Grove found that 70% of today’s multimillionaires said being wealthy gave them “better sex.” A majority also said wealth gave them “more adventurous and exotic” sex lives.

The survey polled nearly 600 men and women with net worths of more than $30 million and a mean net worth of $89 million. While not scientific, the survey is large for such a wealthy group and offers a rare glimpse of the sex lives of today’s rich. The survey polled men and women who were the financial “principals,” meaning they were the primary decision makers in their households.

“What this tells us is that, on the whole, more money equals more magic in bed,” says Prince & Associates founder Russ Prince.

The survey’s most-surprising findings relate to the impact that money has on the sex lives of women. More than 80% of both the men and women surveyed were married, although the women’s wealth was independent of their husbands’. Among the respondents, nearly three-quarters of the women surveyed (about 150) said they’d had affairs, compared to about 50% of the men. While the male numbers are in keeping with findings for the broader American population, the figure for women is almost twice as high as the national average, according to sex researchers. (More than half of all the men and women surveyed had been divorced at least once.)

Fully 63% of rich men said wealth gave them “better sex,” which they defined as having more-frequent sex with more partners. That compares to 88% of women who said more money gave them better sex, which they defined as “higher quality” sex.
“This tells us that the women as a whole receive more sexual benefits from wealth than men,” says Ms. Grove.

The women in the survey were almost twice as likely than their male counterparts to have “more adventurous and exotic” sex lives than they did before they were wealthy. They were also more than twice as likely than men to be members of the “mile high club,” meaning they’ve had sex on an airplane. Fully 72% of the female respondents said they were mile-high-club members, compared to 33% of the men. (Both numbers are larger than the norms even for the wealthy for a simple reason: All the survey respondents owned jets or shares in jets.)

Ian Kerner, a New York-based sex therapist, says the study sheds new light on the links between money and sex. One reason that wealth would equate to better sex, he says, is that money helps alleviate many of the daily stresses that can inhibit a couple’s sex life.
“I see in my practice that financial stress can have huge impacts on the libido and can cause general dissatisfaction,” he says. “When you strip away those elements of financial hardship and stress, that can make for better sex. This shows that sex and money are very intertwined.”

The wealthy also tend to travel more, leading to more-exotic and adventurous sex lives, Mr. Kerner says. “There is just more stimuli and luxury in their lives, so that would increase libido.”

As for the women, the researchers said the findings show that money brings a welcome sense of control and power.

“Women find wealth to be extremely empowering,” says Ms. Grove. “They have let their confidence and sense of purpose in other areas feed their sex life. They are getting what they want.”

Mr. Kerner says the increased sexual activity by wealthy women doesn’t reflect the “pool boy” syndrome commonly portrayed in the media: bored young trophy wives having affairs with household help. Today’s rich women are powerful businesspeople who feel secure in having relationships outside their marriage — mostly with professional colleagues.

“We’re not talking about the woman who’s home with two kids and who’s dependent on her husband,” Mr. Kerner says. “Those women are more likely to worry about the consequences of having other relationships.”

He added that especially for women, sex is closely linked to self-esteem. And since wealth usually brings greater self-esteem, it can improve a woman’s sex life.

“For the minute percentage of women who are that wealthy, this wealth can be a big ego booster and allow them to feel very comfortable and relaxed about sex,” he says. “They have a strong sense of identity and they know they don’t have to be inhibited about communicating their needs. It’s about the confidence and power and opportunity that comes with having a lot of wealth.”