Religious people in Britain have more infrequent, but better sex, according to a new study by the Journal of Sex Research released Friday.
The study used data from the British National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles conducted from 2010 to 2012. The study surveyed 15,162 men and women aged 16 to 74. The response rate for the survey was 57.7%.
Among men surveyed, 11% said religion and religious beliefs were very important to them, while 16% of women agreed. Women and men who view religion as very important reported having less sex on average, but also reported higher levels of sexual satisfaction.
The study found that religious people had less frequent sex was due in large part to attitudes on the proper context for sexual intercourse. (RELATED: ‘I Had A Gun On The Table. I Was Outta Here’: Shia LaBeouf Says Catholicism Saved His Life)
“[H]igher religiosity has been found to be associated with delayed initiation of sexual intercourse, reduced likelihood of engaging in casual sex, and having fewer sexual partners,” the study says.
More religious people had sex less frequently, but were more satisfied with their sex life. https://t.co/PiPBZYYvE1 pic.twitter.com/pgHuNIOEoa
— Rolf Degen (@DegenRolf) August 27, 2022
The study also found that religious couples engaged in behaviors that increased relationship quality, such as expressions of kindness, love, affection, and spending time together, which contributed to sexual satisfaction.
“Thus, higher sexual satisfaction among religious individuals may at least partly be attributed to higher investment in long-term partnerships and relationship intimacy.”