Women enjoy best sex as they approach 40 女人年近40 性生活最精采

 ◎陳成良
Despite the fact their bodies may be in decline, women are more likely to have sexual fantasies and affairs as they approach 40, a study showed.
儘管她們的身體狀況可能走下坡，但女人年近40，更可能有性幻想及艷遇，一項研究顯示。
Experts said that as women approach the milestone they may sense that their "window of opportunity" to have children is closing and their fertility is declining.
專家指出，女人到了這個關頭，可能體認到能生孩子的「機會之窗」正在關閉，而且她們的生育能力也正在下降。
Their instinctual reaction is an increased appetite for sex, the researchers said, an explanation which could explain the rise of the "cougar" – a woman who seeks out flings with younger partners.
她們的直覺反應，是提升性慾，這些研究人員表示。這可解釋「美洲獅」現象崛起的原因，這個名詞是指尋求與較年輕伴侶短暫交往的女人。
The survey of nearly 900 women divided respondents into three groups： those at their most fertile （aged 19 to 26）, those whose fertility was declining （aged 27 to 45） and those who were approaching or had reached the menopause.
這項針對近900名女性的調查，將應答者分為三個群組：生育力最強（19至26歲）、生育力正走下坡（27至45歲），以及接近或已屆更年期的人。
Those in the middle group were significantly more sexually driven, engaging in sex and having sexual fantasies more often than their older and younger counterparts and being more likely to have flings.
相較於比她們年長或年輕的應答者，中間群組的人更容易性衝動、更投入性愛，也更常有性幻想。
Professor David Buss said： "Results indicate women with declining fertility have greater sexual motivations and increased sexual behaviours than do women with relatively high fertility."
大衛．巴斯教授說：「結果顯示，比起生育力相對較高的女人，生育力走下坡的女人性愛動機較強，性行為次數也較多。」
新聞辭典
decline：名詞／動詞，衰退。例句：Home cooking seems to be on the decline （in decline）.（在家開伙的人似乎漸漸減少。）
cougar： 名詞，美洲獅，口語中指「喜歡年輕男孩的老女人」。這個新興名詞最早出現於2001年的一本兩性書籍：Cougar： A Guide for Older Women Dating Younger men。美國經典電影「畢業生」（The Graduate）裡面羅賓森太太算是「美洲獅」先驅， 她主動狩獵，勾引同事的兒子上床 。
fling ：名詞，指一時的放縱，短暫的風流， Internet fling 指「網路上的一段情」。