Study Reveals That 31% Of People Regret How They Lost Their Virginity

A new study has revealed that women are far more likely than men to say that they regret their first sexual experience.

The research was carried out by Zava Med, who spoke to 1,000 people, half in the United States and half in Europe, about their sexual experiences and questioned them on how they felt about their first time. The study also looked into which myths about sex people believed in and which misconceptions they held on to for too long.

31 percent of the total participants regretted the way in which they lost their virginity, with 45 percent of American women and 36 percent of European women saying that they did, while 25 percent of European men and 22 percent men said that they did.

The most common reasons for regret were that they were not in love with the partner and that the partner pressured them into it, with an outlier that a full quarter of European men were drunk when they lost their virginity.

"While our results confirm pressure from a partner contributed to regret in many cases, we also saw a more traditional top-reported cause," reads the research.

PA

"For men and women on both continents, a lack of true love for their partner was the leading reason they regretted their first time.

"Apparently, many of us still feel deeply that sex and love should be intimately connected, at least when it comes to losing our virginity.

"Our participants' regrets about intoxicated first sex experiences also proved interesting.

"While college campuses across the globe discuss the intersection of alcohol and consent, our male participants were actually more likely to voice regret about being drunk during their first time.

"A quarter of European men regretted their first time for this reason, while 14 percent of American men said the same."

On top of questions about virginity, the survey also sought to discover which myths about sex were pervasive among people on both sides of the Atlantic.

Over 70 percent of people reported as believing that condoms always reduced sensations during sex, while similar numbers said that they had previously believed that their first time would be amazing.

A staggering two-thirds of Americans of both genders thought that having larger hands or feet corresponded to having a larger penis - only around a third of Europeans thought this - and half of all Americans thought that eating pineapple would improve the taste of their vagina or semen.

Topics: Study, Interesting, Community, Health

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]