
The real 40-year-old virgins (13.9% of men and 8.9% of women) - MikeCapone
http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/06/who-is-the-40-year-old-virgin.html
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rauljara
I am more than a little shocked that those numbers are so high. That's almost
one in seven men! I guess it just goes to show how much society has
conditioned me to believe that everyone is having sex.

It's kind of a vicious cycle. If everyone believes everyone else has had sex,
people will be less likely to admit (or at least bring up) that they haven't
had sex, and so further contribute to the idea that everyone has had it.

~~~
riffer
The title is just linkbait: It's one in nine people 25-45 years old, which
isn't quite as surprising as one in seven 40 year old men.

~~~
rauljara
I'd be just as shocked if the title of the article only reference people over
25. Once you've been out of school for a few years, I imagine the odds of
ending your virginity in any particular year goes way down. ie., a 25 year old
virgin stand a pretty good chance of becoming a 40 year old one. A 20 year old
virgin stands a pretty good chance of not being one for much longer.

edit - Or so I'd expect, but this article has me questioning a lot of those
expectations.

~~~
pgbovine
that would be a cool idea for a longitudinal study: re-survey the sample every
year for 10-15 years

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gort
_"His team's survey found that 13.9 per cent of men [...] said they have never
had sex."_

 _"The study also found that male homosexuals were 11 times more likely to be
virgins than heterosexuals"_

So, I'm trying to find some plausible interpretation that would reconcile
these two statements... anyone?

[Edit: I don't just mean what would cause gay people to be virgins... I mean
how can these figures both be true?]

~~~
yummyfajitas
13.9% of men includes all age groups. It's probably something like 50% of
18-22 men, and a much smaller number (e.g. 0.5-1% or so) of 35-45 men.

I'm guessing that perhaps 5.5-11% of male homosexuals are virgins?

That seems strange, however, considering that it's vastly easier for gay guys
to get laid than for straight guys. (I'm basing this last statement on common
sense and my own experience; I've been approached by strange men offering sex,
but never by women I've never met.)

~~~
dgabriel
I bet there are a number of devoutly religious, non-practicing homosexuals.

~~~
mahmud
"Self-hating" gays too; who are uncomfortable with themselves.

Heterosexuals have an easy time since their sexual identity is sanctioned by
society. Gays go through their youths being forced to be something they are
not. For some, even when they become comfortable in their own identities in
private, it's still impossible for them to confess to them socially.

All the more reasons to encourage gay-friendly communities in town and cities,
somewhere they can be themselves.

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ComputerGuru
"And women with college degrees were 5.4 times more likely to be virgins than
women who never got their Bachelor's."

That was totally unexpected.

~~~
Alex3917
Based on some other research on this I've seen I think it's actually
biological. There is a pretty high correlation between virginity and IQ also.

~~~
jackchristopher
Good analysis on that: [http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/04/intercourse-and-
intelligenc...](http://www.gnxp.com/blog/2007/04/intercourse-and-
intelligence.php)

~~~
Alex3917
Thanks for the link. While the reason for the link is unknown to science, I
suspect that people with high IQs just tend to not start using certain parts
of their brain until later in life. It seems very possible to reprogram your
brain though if a person wants to and has adequate help and resources.

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ilkhd2
Interesting to know AIDS and STD prevalence among these people.

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rokhayakebe
Oh please, sex is overrated.

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lawn
Fun is overrated?

~~~
gloob

      "The pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous."
        - Lord Chesterfield

~~~
mahmud
Lord Chersterfield is the Oscar Wilde of ridiculous quotes.

~~~
ellyagg
And you're making a run for his title...

