At British parties, sex talk is the biggest taboo

Not a fad

Next time you are at a party, drop sex from your list of discussions, as a new study has found that the three letter word is the number one taboo for conversation.

According to a new survey on conversation habits in Britain, sex tops the list of taboo topics not to be broached at any dinner party. However, discussing religion or politics, which was once seen as the epitome of poor etiquette, can now be talked about with barely a frown from your friends, the Daily Mail reported.

The survey of changing British values and habits found that almost a third of respondents claimed they would be uncomfortable discussing their sex lives or infidelities with even their closest friends.

That knocks money down to a close third place, with over a quarter saying they would refuse to talk about their finances with those who are close to them.

A similar proportion said they would not even be comfortable discussing the amount of money they earn.

There are still many people who are not so inhibited when it comes to conversation, with almost two in five admitting they would discuss any and all topics including sex, finances and relationships.

Friends have, however, replaced family as the people with whom we are most likely to confide in. While 39 per cent said all these areas were openly discussed with friends, only 26 per cent said they would talk about them with their relatives.

The research was based on a poll of UK adults by Opinium Research, with the fieldwork conducted during May 17-19, 2012.