The key to a happy sex life is under your nose

21 November 2014 - 02:21 By Poppy Louw
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GROW WEST: Phil Olsen announces a winner at this year's Annual Beard and Moustache Championships in New Orleans
GROW WEST: Phil Olsen announces a winner at this year's Annual Beard and Moustache Championships in New Orleans
Image: Greg Anderson

Men with moustaches are happier in the sack than their clean-shaven counterparts.

A survey released yesterday found that 41% of mustachioed men were satisfied with their sex life, compared with only a third of those without facial hair.

Conducted by online research specialist Columinate, the Movember survey, however, focused more on the significance of the annual awareness campaign among 1 200 men and women.

Men around the world are 21 days into cultivating moustaches to increase awareness about men's health issues.

About 78% of men surveyed claimed to be more aware of health issues as a result of Movember, but only a third (about 33%) have been tested.

More than 2000 South African men die as a result of prostate cancer every year.

It is estimated that one in 23 men who reach the age of 74 will develop prostate cancer.

But this information does not seem to have had an impact on men.

Less than a quarter (22%) underwent prostate examinations, while only 21% were tested for testicular cancer in the last year.

Nearly a quarter said they had visited a doctor, and more than half said the campaign had made them think about their health.

More than 60% of urban men have never had their prostate checked, while 45% of urban women have never been screened for breast cancer.

In spite of the awareness raised by Movember around prostate and testicular cancer, Columinate CEO Henk Pretorius said there were still glaring gaps in people's healthcare knowledge.

"While 86% of men understand that the incidence of prostate cancer is increasing, 37% of men [and 25% of women] didn't realise men are susceptible to breast cancer," Pretorius added.

The survey also revealed cancer fallacies that people believed were true, such as prostate/testicular cancer can be caused by wearing tight pants (46% of men and 53% of women), you can catch cancer from other people (17% of men and 7% of women), and infrequent sex can cause prostate cancer (29% of men and 17% of women).

  • You can see a .pdf infographic summarising the survey here.
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