Banish the Bedroom Blahs

Jan. 18, 2006 — -- New research out of Italy finds that couples with televisions in their bedrooms make love half as often as couples who do not. And for couples over 50, the TV turnoff gets even worse, with TV couples having one intimate episode a month, versus seven for couples with no bedroom boob tube.

Psychiatrist Keith Ablow says that a couple need to make an effort to ensure their bedroom is a special place -- a destination full of good associations and romantic memories, not a multifunctional dumping ground.

Ablow says that when it comes to romance, powerful signals are sent and received -- often unconsciously -- that may ignite passion, or snuff it out. And a powerfully bad message is that the bedroom is something other than a locus of love and intimacy -- and instead, an entertainment center (with a TV), or a home office (with a desk), or a dog run (with pets sprawled all over the bed).

Ablow shares some bedroom dos and don'ts to keep the passion alive: