Tuesday October 02, 2001

Within hours of the attacks on America — when I was at work but thinking only of being back at home with my family — I knew we'd soon be hearing predictions of a June 2002 baby boom. It makes perfect sense. Sex in a time of terror (Salon.Com); More sex, less sleep: U.S. attack reactions vary (Reuters); Perhaps the most primal post-disaster reaction: sex (L.A. Times); and Couples want peace at home (Houston Chronicle). Also reported are reduced severity of depression, all hinting that people — for a moment, at least — are more cognizant of "The Big Picture" and what their own problems amount to in a time of uncertainty. I have doubts about the divorce-rate story, though. Perhaps there'll be a "now's not a good time" effect, but great trauma, not to mention economic difficulty, is equally if not more detrimental to matrimony.