Sex is often considered a key milestone in adulthood, a cornerstone of intimacy that supports physical health, emotional well-being and social bonding.
Yet a new study suggests that for more than 400,000 adults worldwide, sexlessness is a reality, linked to a range of genetic, environmental, physical and mental factors.
Researchers analyzing data from over 400,000 UK adults and 13,500 Australians found that men who had never had sex tended to have lower grip strength and smaller arm muscles.
However, both men and women without sexual experience were more likely to be highly educated, introverted and exhibit higher cognitive ability.
The team also noted that lower alcohol or drug use, fewer visits with friends and family, and less time on mobile phones may limit opportunities for social and romantic connections.
Certain mental health traits were more common among sexless individuals, including autism spectrum disorder and anorexia, while depression, anxiety and ADHD were less prevalent.
Physical markers, such as wearing glasses at an earlier age, were also noted.
Brendan Zietsch, associate professor at The University of Queensland, penned in The Conversation: ‘Wearing glasses at an early age, and other stereotypically ‘nerdy’ features, may affect adolescent dating experiences.
‘This, in turn, may affect one’s romantic confidence into adulthood.’
Scientists have found that more than 400,000 people have never had sex. The team linked it to a range of genetic, environmental, physical and mental factors
The study, published in PNAS, examined data from 405,117 British individuals of European descent (218,744 women and 186,373 men) and 13,500 Australians.
Of these, 3,929 participants reported never having vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.
Researchers analyzed 251 traits related to mental health, sleep, exercise, substance use, risk-taking, cognition, general health, and occupation.
They found that 148 traits were significantly associated with sexlessness, and 35 explained at least one percent of the variation.
Some of the most common traits among those who had never had sex included less frequent and shorter mobile phone use, fewer visits with friends and family, and reduced opportunities to be in a confiding relationship.
Sexlessness was also associated with feeling more nervous, lonely, and less happy, highlighting its connection to emotional well-being.
Genetic analysis showed that genes accounted for roughly 15 percent of the variation in whether individuals had experienced sex.
‘Our genetic analyses also let us detect genetic correlations with any other traits that have been genetically analyzed, even if in separate studies,’ Zietsch explained.
Regional and socioeconomic factors were influential, as men were more likely to remain sexless in areas with fewer women and higher income inequality, suggesting that local social and economic environments shape sexual opportunities
‘A genetic correlation indicates the genes associated with one trait are also associated with another trait.
‘In this way, we found an array of interesting links between sexlessness and other traits.’
Regional and socioeconomic factors were influential, as men were more likely to remain sexless in areas with fewer women and higher income inequality, suggesting that local social and economic environments shape sexual opportunities.
The study also found some differences between men and women.
For men, traits such as grip strength, body measurements, income, snoring, mobile phone use, feeling that life is meaningful, and having someone to confide in were more strongly connected to sexlessness.
For women, work-related factors like hours worked were more closely linked to childlessness, while income and confiding relationships were stronger predictors for men.
The researchers noted that some observed sex differences may reflect social and cultural patterns, as men and women may report sexual experiences differently due to social norms.
‘Our results paint a complex picture. One major aspect of uncertainty is what causes underlie the pattern of associations we found,’ Zietsch added.
‘For example, not having had sex may cause unhappiness. But unhappiness may also make it more difficult to find a partner, or a third factor could cause both unhappiness and difficulty finding a partner.
‘Another aspect of uncertainty is that the participants only reported whether or not they had had sex, not whether they had ever desired sex. Many sexless individuals in the sample may be asexual.’
He also noted that some of the findings cannot be fully explained by asexuality, for instance, the connection to the local balance of men and women and the link with lower male strength.
‘Our results likely reflect a mixture of voluntary and involuntary sexlessness,’ Zietsch said.
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