Author: University of Exeter
Author Contact: exeter.ac.uk
Published: 30th Aug 2022 - Updated: 5th Jan 2023
Peer-Reviewed Publication: Yes
Additional References: Sexuality Publications
Summary: Relationship between sex frequency and sexual satisfaction is neither simple nor straightforward; across all relationship types, too little or too much sex is associated with lower sexual satisfaction.
Human sexual activity, human sexual practice, or human sexual behavior is how humans experience and express their sexuality. People engage in various sexual acts, ranging from activities done alone (e.g., masturbation) to acts with another person (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penetrative sex, oral sex, etc.) The frequency of sexual activity might range from zero to 15 or 20 times a week. The frequency of intercourse tends to decline with age. Some post-menopausal women experience declines in the frequency of sexual intercourse, while others do not. According to the Kinsey Institute, the average frequency of sexual intercourse in the US for individuals who have partners is 112 times per year (age 18-29), 86 times per year (age 30-39), and 69 times per year (age 40-49). Human sexual activity has sociological, cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and biological aspects; these include personal bonding, sharing emotions and the physiology of the reproductive system, sex drive, sexual intercourse, and sexual behavior in all its forms.
Having stronger religious beliefs is linked to higher levels of sexual satisfaction, a new study shows. Those who report religion being important in their lives have less sex - driven by abstinence among those who don't live with a partner - but are more content with their sex life overall, researchers have found.
The research shows having no or many lifetime sexual partners is linked to lower sexual satisfaction. Higher approval of casual sex or sex without love was found to be negatively associated with sexual satisfaction for both men and women.
The study, published in The Journal of Sex Research, was conducted by Dr. Nitzan Peri-Rotem from the University of Exeter and Dr. Vegard Skirbekk from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Columbia University.
Dr Peri-Rotem said:
"The relationship between sex frequency and sexual satisfaction is neither simple nor straightforward; across all relationship types, too little or too much sex is associated with lower sexual satisfaction, suggesting that an optimum exists in terms of frequency related to higher satisfaction levels."
Researchers used data on men and women aged 18 to 59 from the third British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles.
More religious married women reported higher sexual satisfaction than their less religious peers, though this relationship is not found among married men. Single religious men also reported higher satisfaction from sex life. However, this relationship disappeared after researchers included controls for attitudes to casual sex and sex without love or when the sample was limited to sexually active respondents.
Among those who completed the survey:
On average, men reported a higher frequency of sex occurrences in the past four weeks compared to women (4.4 compared to 4.0, respectively). Around a quarter of women and men strongly agreed with the statement "I feel satisfied with my sex life," while 14 percent of women and 17 percent of men reported being dissatisfied with their sex life.
Nearly 40 percent of men reported having ten or more sexual partners in their lifetime compared to a quarter of women.
Dr Skirbekk said:
"As religious individuals are less likely to engage in casual sex and are more likely to limit sexual activity to a relationship based on love, this can lead to lower expectations of sexual activity outside a formal union, as well as increased satisfaction from sex life in general. However, it is possible that religious sentiments about the sanctity of marital sex, as well as disapproval of sex outside marriage, matter more for women than for men's sexual satisfaction. This is also evident in the higher levels of sexual satisfaction among more religious cohabiting men when all other variables were constant. At the same time, no similar relationship was found among cohabiting women."
The study shows a significant association between educational attainment and sexual frequency and satisfaction. Highly educated individuals reported having less frequent sex and reduced satisfaction from sex life compared to those with lower qualifications.
Dr Peri-Rotem said:
"Our research suggests that changes in sexual behavior need to be understood in the context of changes in religious norms and beliefs and other societal level trends. The postponement of union formation is related to less frequent sex, while also increasing the exposure to casual sex among those with weaker religious orientation."
"For women, it is found that having no sexual partners, as well as having ten or more lifetime sexual partners, is associated with lower satisfaction from sex life. Among men, on the other hand, no relationship is found between the number of lifetime sexual partners and sexual satisfaction."
"However, disapproval of sex without love and of casual sex is linked with higher satisfaction from sex life among both men and women. While sexual satisfaction initially increases with sex frequency, it declines at a higher number of sex occasions. Therefore, having "too much" sex may lead to lower satisfaction from sex life."
Strong Religious Beliefs Equals High Levels of Sexual Satisfaction | University of Exeter (exeter.ac.uk). SexualDiversity.org makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. Content may have been edited for style, clarity or length.
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• (APA): University of Exeter. (2022, August 30). Strong Religious Beliefs Equals High Levels of Sexual Satisfaction. SexualDiversity.org. Retrieved April 28, 2025 from www.sexualdiversity.org/sexuality/1007.php
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