Faith and science are typically polar opposites. But regardless of your philosophical standpoint and how they influence your everyday decisions, sex is an intimate yet carnal need that almost every individual seeks. However, there seems to be a correlation between one’s knowledge and beliefs when it comes to their sex life quality.

How do a person’s religious beliefs affect their sex life quality?

The University of Exeter researchers surveyed individuals who consider themselves religious or spiritual. They found out that religious people reported having a more satisfactory sex life quality — despite having less frequent sex than average.

One theory by Dr. Vegard Skirbekk (of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and Columbia University), “As religious individuals are less likely to engage in casual sex and are more likely to limit sexual activity to a relationship based on love this can lead to lower expectations of sexual activity outside a formal union, as well as increased satisfaction from sex life in general. However, it is possible that religious sentiments about the sanctity of marital sex, as well as disapproval of sex outside marriage, matter more for women’s than for men’s sexual satisfaction,”

Those who engage in casual sex, however, reported to be less satisfied with their sex life quality. According to Dr. Nitzan Peri-Rotem (of the University of Exeter), “The relationship between sex frequency and sexual satisfaction is neither simple nor straightforward; across all relationship types, too little or too much sex is associated with lower sexual satisfaction, suggesting that an optimum exists in terms of frequency related to higher satisfaction levels,”

Thus, sex life quality could very well be influenced by people’s religious beliefs — as most major religions disapprove of extramarital sexual escapades or adultery, in general. Sex between people who are religious can then be more intimate and have emotional and romantic influences.

What do major religions preach about sex?

With almost every major religion, sex is somewhat taboo — and “overindulging” in such is discouraged. Moreover, most religions also disapprove of extramarital affairs, casual sex, and sexual relations with others outside the marriage.

Christianity and Judaism

According to Pew Research Center, there are approximately 2.18 billion Christians in the world. However, this census was based on 2010’s global population (6.9 billion). This makes Christianity the most widely practiced religion. Most sub-religions that fall under “Christianity” follow the teachings of the Bible.

And in most verses and gospels regarding sex, it’s often implied that having sex without the intention of reproducing or growing a family is an act of “sin.” Extramarital affairs as well as premarital sex are also highly frowned upon — BUT — depending on their preacher, pastor, or priest, and what they wish to teach their followers, these can be disputed — as the book has many translations and interpretations.

Judaism, on the other hand, also has similar teachings to Christianity. Therefore, their belief system also revolves around the Bible (albeit vastly different in interpretations).

Islam

It’s estimated that there are approximately 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. In Islam, their holy book is the Quran. There, they’re told that sex between a man and a woman is a gift from Allah. Therefore, the couple should enjoy sex and meet the sex life quality that both parties expect from each other.

Extramarital sex is also discouraged. And so is anal sex and having sex with their wives while they’re on their period.

Buddhism

Buddhist monks and nuns practice celibacy — but so do lots of other preachers in other religions. In Buddhism, sex outside of marriage, or before marriage, is a form of indulgence that prevents people from being “enlightened.” Even then, in Buddhism, sex to them is a choice — and not a human compulsion.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, sex is considered “divine” to them — as it’s the method a couple does in order to procreate. Just like most religions, having sex with someone who’s not your spouse — or before you get married is prohibited.

However, some Hindu followers say that sex is a “gift” that should be utilized. Some even argue that it’s part of the reasons why Kamasutra was written — this, of course, is often disputed.

How does a person’s educational achievement affect their sex life quality?

Apparently, the smarter you are, the less sex you’ll probably be having — but this is only based on those who were surveyed by the University of Exeter authors. Moreover, in the study, those with higher educational achievements found that they were more dissatisfied with their sex life quality than those who weren’t as overachieving as them.

What are possible theories about this?

The University of Exeter didn’t exactly provide a theory as to why intelligent people are less likely to be happy than those who are not as smart as them. However, according to a Psychology Today article, people with higher IQ levels tend to be more focused on several other aspects of their lives — sex and sexual urges can sometimes even be considered to be a form of distraction among smart people.

The author of the article, Lauren Friedman, also stated that “men with college degrees are half as likely to have had four or more partners in the last year as men with a high school education alone,” (the author was citing the National 2011 Survey of Family Growth census) Furthermore, a North Carolina Institute for Public Health also states that lots of teen virgins are of the intelligent scale.

Summary

Couples with religious affiliations have better sex life quality than those who don’t follow a specific religion or belief system. Moreover, those who attained higher forms of education aren’t as happy with their sex life quality compared to those who aren’t achievers like them. At the end of the day, sex life quality is subjective.

If you follow a specific religion’s teachings, yet you’re unhappy with your sex life quality, find ways to spice it up while still adhering to your beliefs. On the other hand, if you’re a *smarty* girl or guy, make sure that you’re not overthinking sex! It’s meant to be enjoyed, not pondered and philosophically analyzed. Science, faith, and sex can coexist.

 

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