Good News to Take Home to the Wife!
 

Public release date: 31-Mar-2008

Contact: Vicki Fong
Penn State U
Good sexual intercourse lasts minutes, not hours, therapists say


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. British couples report intercourse lasting 1 to 3 minutes.

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.

???? So 10-13 minutes is both desirable and too long?

British couples report intercourse lasting 1 to 3 minutes.


Can our British boarders explain...WTF? Is it a race to see how quickly you can stop touching each other from beginning to end, or what?

Maybe I should merge this with the "shortest time on a job" thread.

For women, ain't just minutes that fits that description.

Kidding me right? Their partners must be doing something wrong if women report 10-30 as being too long.

Seriously though, survey research is generally not very valid and can be manipulated to show pretty much whatever the researcher wants.

I think we're blurring the line here between "sexy time" and "intercourse." I imagine the study only started the clock once there was penetration.

3-13 minutes?? Pfft, slow coaches...

Actually, I would guess the research is directly related to individuals actual experience. Any happy couple is going to report their time of intercourse as being desirable, and a shorter amount being too short and longer amount being too long, which is a good thing of course.

Its not clear to me from the article, but 7-13 minutes ... is that all in a row?

Exactly. It's quite clear from reading the study, that the clock is measuring strictly intercourse and does not include foreplay.

British people only have stiff upper lips ... nothing else? ... ;)

if it take you more than 20 minutes of actual penis in vagina intercourse, then you are gay and should stop thinking about men while you do your woman.

i would say my wife and i would agree the 7-13 is what works for us. anything more than that is literally repetitive or just for aerobic purposes.

Then wouldn't it take longer?

For a good time, contact Vicki? :D

When they say 7-13 minutes, it's clear they're not counting foreplay. When you factor that in, the real total would be about 7-13 minutes.

"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."

only homosexuals who aren't into vagina could last 20+ minutes. you have to have a dead cock to withstand the excellent sensation and pleasure to last that long.

this video/song pretty much sums up my point:

Thanks for explaining--your first post was so subtle I guess I just missed the point.

Wouldn't a dead cock be limp? I see where you are going here HA, but your theory has holes in it.

Is this 7-13 minutes each time, or for the year over all?

well, a limp cock is still alive, it just can't get erect. a dead cock, a zombie cock if you will, is impervious to sensation. that's why these guys can bang for 20+ minutes - they don't feel anything. no, rather than succumbing to the great feeling and doing it for a normal 7-10 minute session a dead cock is a penis without any nerve-endings so it'll just keep plugging away. vagina, picnic table - it's all the same to a dead cock.

I completely understand now.

What if it's your 3rd time doing it that night? Is it ok to last more than 20 minutes in that case?

It is actually two separate functions for erection and ejaculation, so it's possible for someone to have a problem with erections and not with ejaculation or the other way around.

That said, without removing any of the pleasure from stimulation, one can condition themselves to need longer periods of stimulation to ejaculate. Also, bringing oneself close to ejaculation and not doing so, many times, or delaying it for a longer period of time actually makes the experience much more intense. In Taoism, the man learns to orgasm separately from ejaculation and as general rule only actually ejaculates once every 7 days. While I think that is going overboard, there are a lot of wonderful things one can experience with the person they love when ejaculation can be delayed and controlled. I'd recommend married couples look into some of the these types of things, theres a lot of great reading material out there.

delaying ejaculation for 7 days would be cruel & unusual punishment

well, the 1st time is to do it. 2nd time is to put it to sleep. i think anything more is excessive and anti-climatic. dried up sweat and body fluids doesn't smell/feel better over time.

but yes, if you must do it a 3rd time then you truly are a hetero-hero and a manly man and deserve to take your time and if it lasts more than 20+ minutes so be it.

I think this was the slogan on the last box of condoms I bought.

Why am I picturing a zombified-rooster with a balloon caption that says "I FEEL NOTHING!!!"

?

I forget. Which Supreme Court ruling was that?

I believe the one Shorty is referring to was Palms vs. Tubesock.

IIRC, the Carpenter Ants Benevolent Society filed an Amicus brief on behalf of Palms.