A friend recently told me that this guy she used to hook up with in college would keep a drawer full of socks just to give to his hookups before sex. Like, a hospitality basket, but make it feet. I have so many questions: Were they fresh socks? Did he buy them in bulk? Was this his weird way of avoiding foot fetishes or encouraging them? I will never know.
What I do know is that I’ve never been a socks-during-sex person. Something about being butt-naked but still wearing socks just feels wrong — like I forgot to take off my earrings before bed or left my bra on in the shower. But I am always looking for ways to make sex better, so if socks are the secret ingredient to knocking someone’s socks off in between the sheets, well, then I’m willing to reconsider.
So, Does Keeping Your Socks On Make Sex Better?
The compression socks stay on during sex.
— Jennifer Slopez (@JennSlowpez) February 10, 2022
Science kind of says yes — but also, maybe not. Angie Rowntree, founder and director of Sssh.com, tells Betches that the idea of warm feet helping with orgasms comes from a 2005 study by neuroscientist Gert Holstege. But before you start stocking up on fuzzy socks, she notes that the study only had 13 heterosexual couples (so, not exactly groundbreaking research) and that no one has really replicated the results.
That said, Angie explains that circulation plays a big role in arousal, and cold feet can be a mood killer. “Any kind of physical discomfort — whether it’s cold feet or something else — can dampen your arousal and kill the mood,” she says. So, if wearing socks keeps you comfortable and focused on pleasure instead of your freezing toes, it could make sex better for you.
Marla Renee Stewart, a sexologist for Lovers, agrees that warmth can help with relaxation and arousal but says there’s no verified research proving socks actually lead to more orgasms. “An article that went viral misinterpreted the data, which led to a media frenzy,” she says. “Cold feet can be a distraction, and if you’re not feeling warm, you may be uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable you are, the less likely you are to be aroused, let alone have an orgasm.”
Basically, socks aren’t some magic orgasm button, but they can eliminate distractions. Marla suggests that when we’re warm, we can focus more on pleasure instead of being annoyed by how cold we are. So, if socks help you relax and get in the zone, then, by all means, slip them on.
At the end of the day, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer (except for maybe that guy’s sock drawer). If you hate the look of socks in bed, go barefoot. If cold feet are ruining your vibe, keep them on. Just, for the love of all things sexy, don’t wear the same crusty pair you walked around in all day.
