How long do people have sex for? episode artwork

EPISODE · May 21, 2026 · 4 MIN

How long do people have sex for?

from Do you really know? · host Bababam

Popular fantasy might suggest that we need to have hours of sex in order to be satisfied, but is that actually true? A study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2005 looked into intravaginal ejaculation latency time among 500 heterosexual couples from five different countries. Now intravaginal ejaculation latency time might sound like a complicated term, but basically it just means how long penetration lasts, so foreplay doesn’t count as sex under that definition. Having gathered survey answers from all the couples involved, the researchers noted that sex duration varied significantly, lasting as little as 33 seconds in some cases or as long as 44 minutes. But they were able to work out that the average duration was 5.4 minutes. A lot less than some people might think! Is 5.4 minutes really long enough to have satisfying sex though? How long does foreplay last then? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions! To listen to the last episodes, you can click here: ⁠⁠Can you train your brain like a muscle?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠How often should you wash your jeans?⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Should I walk 10000 steps a day?⁠⁠ A podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance. First Broadcast: 3/6/2024 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 21, 2026

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How long do people have sex for?

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