The good news is that if you are in a relationship as you approach 30, you’re pretty likely to be happy with it.
The study followed 1500 American men and women from their mid-teens until their late twenties to see if things like the age they lost their virginity made a difference to their relationships as young adults. Teens were divided into those who lost their virginity early (younger than 15), at an average age (15-19), or late (older than 19).
Almost 25 percent of teens lost their virginity at an early age, while 16 percent were late bloomers and had sex for the first time when they were in their twenties.
Quality relationship
Surprisingly it wasn’t losing their virginity at an early age that made a difference to these teens’ relationships as young adults. Those who had sex before they turned 15 weren’t really much different from teens who lost their virginity on time, the study found.
The group that stood out the most were those who first had sex when they were 20 or older. Losing your virginity at a later age than average can affect the stability and quality of your relationship as a young adult, the researchers concluded.
Sex early, trouble later
It’s all good and well to study whether the age you lose your virginity affects relationships in your twenties, but what about later on in life? Other studies have looked a little further down the road to try to answer this question.
Teens who have sex at a young age may also jump into relationships early as adults – they’re more likely to move in with someone they’ve only slept with once or that they’re not married to. They also have a greater chance of getting pregnant outside of marriage, getting married when they’re young, and having their marriage fall apart, other research has shown.
Life experience
Why would the age at which someone loses their virginity affect their relationships when they’re older? It could be that how old someone is when they first have sex – whether it’s earlier or later – affects the kinds of experiences they have and their level of maturity. This life experience could then affect their relationships when they’re older, according to one theory.
So that could mean that someone who has sex for the first time when they’re 22 might learn how to deal with problems that come up in a relationship when they’re more mature, compared to someone who loses their virginity at 13. This might help them down the road and lead to a more satisfying relationship when they’re in their late twenties.
Do you think it matters how old you are when you lose your virginity? Leave a comment below or on Facebook.