Delay sex to strengthen marriage: Study

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDJan 5 2011

A new study that appeared in the Journal of Family Psychology finds that couples who wait until exchanging vows to have sex are “are happier with the quality of sex” and enjoy a “stable, happier marriage”. The team of researchers assessed 2,035 married couples in an online questionnaire based study called ‘RELATE’.

The results showed that couples who waited until marriage to have sex rated sexual quality 15% higher than people who had premarital sex, rated relationship stability as 22% higher and rated satisfaction with their relationships 20% higher. Couples who slept together before marriage even without sex cut their benefits into half say researchers.

Dean Busby a professor at Brigham Young University explained the results saying it may be that couples report greater satisfaction and sexual quality if they’ve waited because the extra time gives them longer to learn about each other and develop the skills necessary for good relationships.

Some however have misgivings regarding the study because Brigham Young University, the Church of Latter-Day Saints has a strict view regarding premarital sex and the results could have been biased. However Busby and team did consider the fact that religious belief often plays a role for couples who choose to wait. The team controlled for the influence of religious involvement in their analysis. He said, “Regardless of religiosity, waiting helps the relationship form better communication processes, and these help improve long-term stability and relationship satisfaction.”