<p> <br />But a new study sides with a delayed approach, in which people wait for a deep level of commitment before having sex. The study involves 2,035 married individuals who participated in a popular online marital assessment called “RELATE”. <br /><br />From the assessment’s database, researchers selected a sample designed to match the demographics of the married American population. The extensive questionnaire includes the question “When did you become sexual in this relationship?”<br /><br />A statistical analysis showed the following benefits enjoyed by couples who waited until marriage compared to those who started having sex in the early part of their relationship: Relationship stability was rated 22 per cent higher; relationship satisfaction was rated 20 per cent higher; sexual quality of the relationship was rated 15 per cent better; and communication was rated 12 per cent better. For couples in between—those that became sexually involved later in the relationship but prior to marriage—the benefits were about half as strong. <br /><br />“Most research on the topic is focused on individuals’ experiences and not the timing within a relationship,” said lead study author Dean Busby, a professor in Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life. <br /><br />“There is more to a relationship than sex, but we did find that those who waited longer were happier with the sexual aspect of their relationship,” Busby said. <br /><br />“I think it is because they have learned to talk and have the skills to work with issues that come up,” Busby added.<br /><br />Sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin, who was not involved with this research, read the study and shared his take on the findings. <br /><br />“Couples who hit the honeymoon too early —that is, prioritise sex promptly at the outset of a relationship—often find their relationships underdeveloped when it comes to the qualities that make relationships stable and spouses reliable and trustworthy,” said Regnerus, author of “Premarital Sex in America”, a book forthcoming from Oxford University Press.</p>
<p> <br />But a new study sides with a delayed approach, in which people wait for a deep level of commitment before having sex. The study involves 2,035 married individuals who participated in a popular online marital assessment called “RELATE”. <br /><br />From the assessment’s database, researchers selected a sample designed to match the demographics of the married American population. The extensive questionnaire includes the question “When did you become sexual in this relationship?”<br /><br />A statistical analysis showed the following benefits enjoyed by couples who waited until marriage compared to those who started having sex in the early part of their relationship: Relationship stability was rated 22 per cent higher; relationship satisfaction was rated 20 per cent higher; sexual quality of the relationship was rated 15 per cent better; and communication was rated 12 per cent better. For couples in between—those that became sexually involved later in the relationship but prior to marriage—the benefits were about half as strong. <br /><br />“Most research on the topic is focused on individuals’ experiences and not the timing within a relationship,” said lead study author Dean Busby, a professor in Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life. <br /><br />“There is more to a relationship than sex, but we did find that those who waited longer were happier with the sexual aspect of their relationship,” Busby said. <br /><br />“I think it is because they have learned to talk and have the skills to work with issues that come up,” Busby added.<br /><br />Sociologist Mark Regnerus of the University of Texas at Austin, who was not involved with this research, read the study and shared his take on the findings. <br /><br />“Couples who hit the honeymoon too early —that is, prioritise sex promptly at the outset of a relationship—often find their relationships underdeveloped when it comes to the qualities that make relationships stable and spouses reliable and trustworthy,” said Regnerus, author of “Premarital Sex in America”, a book forthcoming from Oxford University Press.</p>