What was your first time like? Were you in a relationship? Did you feel at ease, guilty, pressured in to it?
Relationships on Female First
All the factors could contribute to how your relationships and sex life pan out in later life, says a new study.
The US study, Gone But Not Forgotten, is one of the first to look into how your first time sex can have an effect on your later life.
The research shows that those who were in a relationship, and felt loved and respected when they lost their virginity, were more likely to have a more fulfilling sex life and relationships in later life.
The researchers asked 331 young men and women how they felt when they lost their virginity.
The options included scared, pressured, guilty and regretful, as well as loved and respected.
As well as this, they were asked to fill in a two week diary which would document any sexual encounters they might have and were then asked to rate their sexual relationships overall.
The research ultimately found that two thirds of people had lost their virginity when in a relationship.
Those who had an emotionally satisfying first time had continued to be the most emotionally and physically satisfied with their sex lives and relationships since.
Researcher Carrie Smith, of the University of Mississippi, said, “These results suggest that one’s first-time sexual experience is more than just a milestone in development. Rather, it appears to have implications for their sexual well-being years later.”
Co-researcher Matthew Shaffer, of the University of Tennessee, said that just because a person’s first time was good, doesn’t mean that it their sex life will continue that way, but it certainly creates the path.
He said, “In essence, first-time sexual experience may create a general pattern of thought and behaviour that we use to guide us in new sexual experiences and a framework for our understanding, perception or interpretation of new information concerning sexuality.”
Despite those taking part in the research being quite young, the researchers insisted it was highly plausible that a person’s sex life in their teens would influence their sex life in their 40’s.
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