#Trends2025

New research published in July 2025 has found that voluntary celibacy—choosing to abstain from sexual activity for personal, cultural, or psychological reasons—has become notably common, especially among women. The study, highlighted by Psychology Today, offers a fresh look at shifting sexual behaviors and attitudes in contemporary society.

Celibacy is often assumed to be rare in the age of dating apps and sex-positivity movements, but the new findings challenge this stereotype. In recent years, changes in societal values, evolving gender dynamics, and personal considerations about health and well-being have contributed to a marked increase in voluntary sexual abstention, particularly among women. The implications stretch beyond individual choices, touching on issues ranging from mental health to relationship expectations in Thailand and around the world.

For years, popular wisdom — and much of the Thai public’s workout regimen — has focused heavily on running, cycling, aerobics, or other forms of cardiovascular exercise as the best path to health and a desirable body. But a new wave of research and expert discussion signals it may be time to rethink our devotion to cardio. Resistance training, more widely known as weightlifting, is rapidly gaining traction as not just an add-on to cardio, but as a potentially more sustainable, empowering pathway to overall fitness, especially among women and those struggling with “exercise burnout” (LA Times).