LOS ANGELES—Could trends for the country’s economy be found in sex?
National journalists are once again touting market research from 2009 that suggests that economists might have found that the sales of lubricants and sexual-enhancement devices increase during a recession.
Traditional indicators of major swings in the economy are marked by inventories and production capacity, but through the years, there have been links to everything from the length of women’s skirts to the sale of lipstick used to determine bull and bear markets.
The idea that lube and sex toy sales skyrocket in hard times could be a solid link, considering people are more apt to spend evenings at home as opposed to out on the town when they have less money. Or it could mean people need help getting it on down south when the economy is headed South.
Or it could just mean people like to buy lube and sex toys.
While there is no real scientific data to back up the claims of the market research, it could be surmised that if sales of lube and sex toys goes limp, then so will the recession.
