If you’re young, do you ever wonder how long you should wait until you pop your cherry? Are you tired of listening to your friends tell you how wonderful sex is?

If you’re older, have you ever wondered what would have happened if you had held out a little longer?  Do you think you started having sex too soon?

A study from The University of Texas at Austin suggests that people who have their first sexual experience later than average may have more satisfying romantic relationships in adulthood. The study out of the UT Austin’s Population Research Center also indicates that these individuals who had a later first sexual experience were also less likely to be married and had fewer romantic partners in adulthood.

This is one of the few studies that looked at how teen-age sexual experiences are related to marital relationships in adulthood. The study followed over 1,000 same-sex sibling pairs from their early teens until adulthood.  What’s considered having a “late” first sexual experience? Having nooky anytime after the age of 19.

Study participants who started having sex later in life and who were married or living with someone were more likely to say that they were happy with the way conflict was handled within their relationship, that their man showed them love and affection and that they enjoyed during day-to-day things with their partners. They also have higher incomes.

The data suggest that early sexual initiation is not a “risk” factor so much as late initiation is a “protective” factor in shaping romantic life later on in life. Click here to read morefrom Your Tango on the study and its findings.