Could dishwashing be messing with your sex life?

Let’s be honest: No one likes doing the dishes. But did you know your hatred of scraping food off of your beloved ceramics could actually be messing with your sex life? According to a new report, the chore may play a bigger role in your relationship than you might think.

The non-profit Council of Contemporary Families (CCF) looked at different household tasks—from laundry and cleaning to grocery shopping—and found there’s really nothing worse for the health and longevity of a heterosexual relationship than dishwashing. According to The Atlantic, sharing the chore is incredibly important: Women who do most of the dishes themselves reported having more conflict in their relationships, less satisfaction, and worse sex than was the case for couples who shared the task. Yikes.

Women who do most of the dishes themselves reported having more conflict in their relationships, less satisfaction, and worse sex than was the case for couples who shared the task, new research found. Yikes.

But why does washing dishes affect relationships more than any other household duty? First, the task is often associated with women because historically in traditional, Leave it to Beaver–style homes, ladies cleaned up after the family. So now, the chore alone can make women “see themselves as relegated to the tasks that people don’t find desirable,” and that can lead to resentment, Dan Carlson, PhD, told The Atlantic.

Whether one person is cooking and the other is doing dishes, or one person washes while the other dries, working together will make you and your partner feel more connected.

It also isn’t the most glamorous job in the world: “Doing dishes is gross. There’s old, moldy food sitting in the sink. If you have kids, there’s curdled milk in sippy cups that smells disgusting,” Dr. Carlson says. Plus, it’s not very compliment-worthy: “What is there to say? ‘Oh, the silverware is so…sparkly?'”

Luckily it’s possible to get the dishes done and keep your sex life going strong: Do the chore as a team. Whether one person is cooking and the other is doing dishes, or one person washes while the other dries, Dr. Carlson said working together will make you and your partner feel more connected. Who knows? Maybe a totally empty, dish-free sink could become the biggest turn-on of all.

When it comes to relationships, one study shows love is all you need. Or, check out Kristen Bell’s love tips, which could totally double as a Relationships 101 class.