Friday 18 July 2008

It was the best three minutes of my life

It was the best three minutes of my life" is not a sentence that one would normally associate with a conversation about sex.
However, the mainstream media is attempting to tell audiences that this might be all the time needed to satisfy a partner, after survey results on good sexual intercourse were released.The survey – done by researchers at Penn State, Erie – was of 50 full members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research, which includes psychologists, physicians, social workers, marriage/family therapists and nurses.The survey found that sex between one and two minutes was "too short," "adequate" sex lasted from three to seven minutes, "desirable" sex lasted from seven to 13 minutes and sex that lasted 13 to 30 minutes was "too long."
Unfortunately, the Associated Press story, which has been reprinted across the globe, lumps these findings into the general statement that "the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse was three to 13 minutes."There's a huge difference between adequate sex and mind-blowing, toe-curling optimal sex.
A quick Internet search for the survey reveals misleading headlines like: "Best sex lasts just minutes, survey says" and "Best sex is short and sweet."Not true.
The survey's questions were not gender-specific. The survey asked about sexual intercourse from time of penis-to-vagina penetration to male ejaculation. There's no mention of female orgasms anywhere.For women taking the survey, did "desirable" mean sex that's desirable given the fact that upward of 50 to 60 percent of women cannot achieve orgasm from penetration alone? Or did it really mean the type of sex that women secretly desire but feel they cannot realistically obtain?
The survey doesn't say.While the lead researcher Eric Corty, an associate professor of psychology, has admirable goals – to "dispel such fantasies and encourage men and women with realistic data about acceptable sexual intercourse, thus preventing sexual disappointments and dysfunctions" – the mainstream coverage on the survey may have negative implications for women who like to enjoy sexual intercourse to its fullest extent.
Newspapers across the world are pouncing on the idea that there is nothing wrong with the "wham, bam, thank you m'am" philosophy traditionally attributed to males.
It's a terrible sentiment.
Opinions on the average length of time it takes a woman to achieve orgasm are as varied as the positions within the "Kama Sutra." Some studies and articles claim four minutes, others upward of 27.
One thing is consistent. Women require a longer amount of time to reach orgasm, usually at least double the time it takes for a man.

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