Satisfactory sexual intercourse for couples lasts from 3 to 13 minutes, contrary to popular fantasy about the need for hours of sexual activity, according to a survey of U.S. and Canadian sex therapists.
Penn State Erie researchers Eric Corty and Jenay Guardiani conducted a survey of 50 full members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, which include psychologists, physicians, social workers, marriage/family therapists and nurses who have collectively seen thousands of patients over several decades.
Thirty-four, or 68 percent, of the group responded and rated a range of time amounts for sexual intercourse, from penetration of the vagina by the penis until ejaculation, that they considered adequate, desirable, too short and too long.
The average therapists’ responses defined the ranges of intercourse activity times: “adequate,” from 3-7 minutes; “desirable,” from 7-13 minutes; “too short” from 1-2 minutes; and “too long” from 10-30 minutes.
“A man’s or woman’s interpretation of his or her sexual functioning as well as the partner’s relies on personal beliefs developed in part from society’s messages, formal and informal,” the researchers said. “”Unfortunately, today’s popular culture has reinforced stereotypes about sexual activity. Many men and women seem to believe the fantasy model of large penises, rock-hard erections and all-night-long intercourse. ”
Past research has found that a large percentage of men and women, who responded, wanted sex to last 30 minutes or longer.
“This seems a situation ripe for disappointment and dissatisfaction,” said lead author Eric Corty, associate professor of psychology. “With this survey, we hope to dispel such fantasies and encourage men and women with realistic data about acceptable sexual intercourse, thus preventing sexual disappointments and dysfunctions.”
Corty and Guardiani, then-undergraduate student and now a University graduate, are publishing their findings in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine, but the article is currently available online.
The survey’s research also has implications for treatment of people with existing sexual problems.
“If a patient is concerned about how long intercourse should last, these data can help shift the patient away from a concern about physical disorders and to be initially treated with counseling, instead of medicine,” Corty noted.
I read somewhere that “premature ejaculation” is usually classed as anything below two minutes after starting sex, but it can be over two minutes depending on the person’s norm. In the study you talk about in the post, 3-7 minutes was considered adequate for sex, so surely this has implications for men who think they’re not lasting long enough.
Like one of the other commenters says, the study doesn’t take into account all the variables – what’s normal for one couple won’t be normal for another. There are loads of drugs on the market for premature ejaculation (I think Priligy is the latest), but maybe for a lot of men drugs aren’t the answer. They should be made more aware of studies like this one that put things into perspective!
i just wanna know how to have sex for 20 to 30 minutes cause i can only last for 3 to 5 minutes before my sperm just start bursting out.
I think you need to worry about the quality of your writing before anything else. Seriously? I have no idea what you mean.
Do all these people eat fast food? Eat more natural food and come back with the same results then we will be on the same page.
no i agree,i am the top….if you agree reply now…..
worm
too short of a ratio.
Stick to one partner and work through the relationship instead of **cking around like a stray dog. What good is a human being without discipline?
The atticle falls short of proffesionalism.
sex is enjoyed by over 500 million people per day and interviewing 50 people in a couple of days leaves one to ask “what ratio is there? Even thou it depends from partiner to pertiner, that duration is too short!!!!
Couldn’t agree with you more
quality is more imprant than quantity in couple long duration with low quality isnt satisfaction