I Tell You Why You Want to Have Sex Now, It's the Peltzman Effect

First, if you are not vaccinated yet, please go out and get that vaccine. And then, like millions around the world, you can ask this question to yourself:

Now that I'm fully vaccinated, is it safe to have sex?

It's a question that both the young and the old ask, especially those who are single.

And that is a fair question - I would try to answer honestly. I have the same question after I was fully vaccinated in May 2021.

Am I safe to have sex?

Don't be hard on yourself if you ask the same question on your head over and over again. It is natural to think of sex, even in the most challenging times of our lives.

I know, when my Mom died, all I could think about was sex. Until I realized that it isn't just me, this video - The messy truth about grief by Nora McInerny, helped me navigate through my feelings.

Is it safe to have sex?

Or even to start dating, or to see people, let us hear what the CDC has to say:

For those who are vaccinated, using current CDC guidelines, here are general guidelines for dating others outside your household:

You can hang out with another fully vaccinated person indoors without a mask.

You can hang out with another unvaccinated person indoors without a mask, as long as that person does not have any conditions putting them at higher risk for severe COVID-19 illness.

You will have to navigate how much trust you have in someone's stated vaccination status.

You can still hang outdoors, six feet apart, especially with a mask.

You should still avoid hanging out with unvaccinated individuals from more than one household and medium- or large-size gatherings. This includes activities like indoor dining.

When you are in public among people from more than one household, you should continue to mask, stay six feet apart, and avoid poorly ventilated or crowded spaces. - Excerpt, Vogue.

On the CDC website, it says: If you've been fully vaccinated:

You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.

It is vague. It doesn't say you can have sex. But the chances of you getting sick once you are vaccinated is slim, not 100%, but it is unlikely.

Risk Compensation or the Peltzman effect.

First, let us talk about risk compensation or the Peltzman effect:

The Peltzman effect is named after Sam Peltzman, professor of economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. It describes the concept of 'Risk Compensation'.

In this concept, it is argued that highway safety regulations were not reducing highway deaths. 'Risk compensation' is a theory that suggests that people typically adjust their behaviour in response to perceived levels of risk. It postulates that people become more careful where they sense greater risk and lesser careful if they feel more protected.

Peltzman theorised that though the introduction of safety devices, like seat belts or air bags, reduced the ratio of fatalities to accidents, the rate of accidents was found to have risen enough to offset the decreased fatality rate. He proposed that though people felt safer driving with a seat belt, it probably led to a phenomenon of driving with less attentiveness or higher speed causing an increased risk of run-off-road crashes or similar accidents.

People take risks when it feels safe. Or we take into account the risk of reward vs. danger, and when we believe that the reward far outweighs the danger, we are bound to choose risk over safety.

This is why, when airbags have become standard in vehicles, more drivers are likely to speed up, thinking airbags would keep them safe if an accident occurs.

SEX, Anyone?

So back to the question:

Is it safe to have sex after being fully vaccinated?

It is a personal choice. And there are no right or wrong answers, except that the risks are real if you are intimate with a non-vaccinated person.

The virus is still around us. We still don't know many things as new variants show up, which causes everyone to examine our behavior on how we live our lives each day.

One important thing to remember is, with or without the pandemic, there are risks involved when we have sex casually, from sexually transmitted diseases to unwanted pregnancy.

When you are facing a tough choice of deciding if you will have sex after being fully vaccinated, the best answer would be to act responsibly.

It is a question that I ask myself frequently, and since I first wrote about this topic, it remains a thought until it isn't.

I am looking for sex. Now that I know it is the Peltzman effect, it could be the reason for my thought. It is a risk I am willing to take but will not actively pursue.

Thoughts are just thoughts until you act on them.

I still yearn for intimacy. I needed it. We all do. I don't know when, but I know it will happen. Intimacy should cease to be another casualty of COVID.

All I can say is - stay safe, everyone.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from No Happy Endings: A Memoir Hardcover –by Nora McInern.