Gay couples in long-term relationships have healthier sex lives than straight couples, study says

Same-sex couples are more likely enjoy a happy sex life in long-term relationships than their straight counterparts, a new study has found.

Jessica Maxwell from the University of Toronto used research from 1,900 gay and straight couples, scoring each on a number of factors regarding their sex and romantic lives. She scored gay and lesbian couples an average of 6.02 versus a score of 5.68 for straight couples on the question of whether they believed in working on sex in a relationship.

Speaking to Gay Star News, Maxwell said her findings suggest that LGB people “have higher levels of sexual growth beliefs than heterosexuals, and have lower levels of sexual destiny beliefs than heterosexuals”.

“This is encouraging because those with higher sexual growth beliefs had the best outcomes in our studies,” she added.

The research showed that same-sex couples are more likely to try new things in their sex lives, but are also less likely to believe in the idea of a perfect partner.

“We know that disagreements in the sexual domain are somewhat inevitable over time,” Maxwell explained. “Your sex life is like a garden, and it needs to be watered and nurtured to maintain it.”

“The fact that same-sex couples are higher in sexual growth beliefs does suggest they have a healthier view of sexual relationships which should in turn foster greater relationship and sexual satisfaction over time,” she added.

Jessica Maxwell is a PhD candidate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Toronto. The study, How Implicit Theories of Sexuality Shape Sexual and Relationship Well-Being, was published in the November issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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