The truth about sex

We debunk the myths about your favourite subject: sex!

MYTH: Everyone’s at it

FACT: A survey found 51 per cent of women think having sex a few times a week is healthy, but only 30 per cent are actually having this much sex. In fact, 66 per cent confessed to getting it on once a week or less. We all crave different amounts of sex at different points in our life, so stop worrying about what’s “normal”

MYTH: People are less interested in sex as they get older

FACT: Researchers found for people aged 50 and over, being satisfied sexually depends more on the general quality of the relationship than it does for younger couples. Among 60-plus-year-olds having regular sex, 74 per cent of men and 70 per cent of women said they found their sex lives more satisfying than when they were in their 40s. And over half of men and around a third of women are still sexually active over 50. One-third of respondents said they even had sex at least twice a month – so that’s something to look forward to!

MYTH: Everyone’s having orgasms

FACT: Sadly, 30 per cent of women have trouble reaching orgasm, so if you've ever had difficulties climaxing, don’t think for a second it’s unusual. As many as one in three women have trouble reaching orgasm when having sex.

MYTH: It’s usually young people having one night stands

FACT: More than 80 per cent of women have had at least one casual sexual encounter, and 63 per cent said they felt absolutely fine about it the morning after. But what was unexpected is that women aged 30 and older are more likely to have had casual sex than 18- to 29-year-olds – what most consider the hook-up generation. This may be related to the fact that 38 per cent of the 30-plusers said they felt freer to try new things with a casual partner than they did with a long-term one. In contrast, only 23 per cent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they would be more experimental with a one night stand.

MYTH: Men think about sex every seven seconds

FACT: That would be more than 9000 times a day, which would seriously affect their ability to get anything done! A study asked 18- to 25-year-olds how often they thought about sex a day – men said around eight times, and women around six. They were then asked to click a counter throughout the day each time they thought about sex, with men clicking 34 times on average and women 18. What’s interesting is the lower a woman’s tally of sexual thoughts, the higher she scored on seeking social acceptance, suggesting women may be more reluctant to admit their sexual desire for fear of judgement. Interestingly, men also thought more than women about their needs generally, such as food and sleep. Handpicked content: The health boosting benefits of sex Sources Sexual Health and Positive Subjective Well-being in Partnered Older Men and Women, David Lee, Bram Vanhoutte, James Nazroo, Neil Pendleton Sex on the Brain?: An Examination of Frequency of Sexual Cognitions as a Function of Gender, Erotophilia, and Social Desirability, Fisher TD, Moore ZT, Pittenger MJ SELF and TrèsSugar's Sex Survey Results