Majority of People Would Rather Give up Sex than Coffee, Survey Suggests

More people are ready to live without sex than coffee, a global study commissioned by Le Meridien Hotels and Resorts found.

Conducted in six countries, including India, the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates, 53 percent of some 7,500 respondents said they preferred a morning cup of coffee to morning sex and 78 percent said they would rather give up alcohol, social media or sex with their spouse for a year rather than coffee. However, just 51 percent said they could go longer without sex than without coffee.

Ironically, 58 percent said they drank coffee to relax, and 53 percent said they experienced nostalgia for a place they traveled to because of a cup of coffee they enjoyed there. When it comes to long meetings, 81 percent said a cup of coffee offered the needed kick, and 73 percent said they would give up television and Internet access in a hotel for the perfect brew.

A lack of coffee made 28 percent feel less creative, 22 percent feel as though they can't get out of bed and 16 percent reported difficulty talking to others without it.

Meanwhile, recent reports on the health effects of coffee are mixed.

A study published in May and conducted by researchers from the Western Australian Institute for Medical Researcher and the University of Western Australia's School of Medicine and Pharmacology found that excess coffee intake -- as defined as five to six cups a day -- can raise the risk of metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome refers to a group of risk factors that together increase the risk for coronary artery disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

According to a recent study by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, however, drinking several cups a day appears to lower the risk of both men and women by nearly 50 percent.