The Beckhams say that quality time is the secret behind their happy marriage, while Michael Douglas once credited Viagra with the secret to his.
But, according to a new study, it is couples who delay sex until after the wedding that enjoy a stronger relationship later in life.
Scientists at the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University, in Utah interviewed 2,035 married people about when they first had sex with their partner.
Analysis of the results showed that couples who waited until marriage before having sex enjoyed a much healthier relationship with their partner than those who started having sex in the early part of their relationship.
In particular, relationshipstability was rated 22 per cent higher, relationshipsatisfaction was 20 per cent higher, quality of sex was 15 per cent better and even communication between partners was 12 per cent better.
For couples who became sexually involved later in their relationship, but before marriage, the benefits were about half as strong.
The research supports the decisions made by celebrities such as actress Lisa Kudrow, who had not had sex before she married her advertisingexecutive husband Michel Stern, and pop stars The Jonas Brothers.
While it is common for couples to explore their sexual compatibility before making a long-term commitment, the researchers argued that too much emphasis is put on the physical side of a relationship, and too little on trust, loyalty and commitment.
Professor Dean Busby, who led the study, said: 'There's more to a relationship than sex, but we did find that those who waited longer were happier with the sexualaspect of their relationship. I think it's because they've learned to talk and have the skills to work with issues that come up.'
Given that religious beliefs often play a role for couples who choose to wait, the researchers took any influence of religion into account.
'Regardless of how religious a couple are, waiting helps the relationship form better a communication process and this improves long-term stability and relationshipsatisfaction,' added Professor Busby.
(Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)
(Agencies)
贝克汉姆夫妇称他们婚姻幸福的秘诀是多和家人在一起，而迈克尔•道格拉斯则一度把他的美满婚姻归功于"伟哥"。 但是一项新调查显示，那些婚后才开始性生活的夫妇们日后的感情关系会更稳固。 犹他州杨百翰大学家庭生活学院的科学家们采访了2035位已婚人士，记录了他们第一次与配偶发生性关系的时间。 通过分析数据，科学家们发现，相对于在恋爱初期就发生性关系的夫妇来说，在婚后才开始有性行为的夫妇的感情生活更为健康。 具体来说，后者比前者的感情稳定性高22%，感情满意度高20%，"性福度"高15%，甚至配偶间的交流也比前者多12%。 而对于那些在恋爱关系后期、结婚之前发生性行为的夫妇来说，相应的益处也打了五折。 研究的结果与女演员丽萨•库卓和流行歌星乔纳斯兄弟等名人的观点一致。丽萨•库卓的丈夫米歇尔•斯特恩是一位广告业高管，在他们结婚之前，丽萨未曾有过性行为。 虽然在作出长久承诺之前，情侣们普遍都想确定双方是否会"性和谐"，但是研究人员称，人们过于注重婚姻关系中的"性"方面，而没有充分重视信任、忠诚以及承诺。 该研究的领头人迪恩•巴斯比教授说："一段感情中除了性，还有很多其它的东西。但是我们确实发现，等得越久的人对他们的性生活越满意。我认为这是因为他们已经学会了沟通，并掌握了应对日后出现的问题的技巧。" 鉴于选择等待的人一般都是出于宗教信仰，研究人员也将宗教影响力考虑在内。 巴斯比教授还说："不管一对夫妇有多虔诚，等待都有助于他们形成更完善的沟通方式，从而提高感情的长期稳定性以及满意度。"
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