How long should sex last? Here's all you need to know
Studies have found that the average “desirable” duration of penetration is 7–13 minutes. Several factors can make sex shorter or longer than you’d like, including age or sexual dysfunction such as erectile dysfunction or premature ejaculation. There are several things you can try to make sex last as long as you and your partner want.
How long should sex last?
The short answer: However long you and your partner want it to. But a scientific inquiry on the subject suggests somewhere between three and 13 minutes. We’ll break it down below.
In a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, researchers asked a group of sex therapists how long sex should last (specifically, penetrative vaginal sex). The results: 1–2 minutes was judged “too short,” while 10–30 minutes was deemed “too long.” On the other hand, 3–7 minutes was rated “adequate,” and 7–13 minutes “desirable”
The average duration of sex
Wondering how long sex actually lasts in the wild?
How long sex should last” depends on how you define sex.
Research by Waldinger, 2005 asked 500 couples to press a stopwatch at penetration and then at ejaculation for one month. The reported duration ranged from 33 seconds to 44 minutes. But the average for vaginal sex was 3–7 minutes. Read More...
