Remember losing the big V? Maybe it was in the back of your high school boyfriend’s car, or the squeaky, twin XL you had in your freshman dorm. Wherever it was, it was the final step into the ~adult world~ of sex, and it was a big effing deal. So, why did you do it? Was it out of love? Was it out of hormones? Or was it because he was totally hot and had arms that still make you weak from the memory. It turns out, your old crew boyfriend might not have been the reason you did the deed, so much as your genetics.
According to a new study reported on by The Guardian, when you lost your virginity is 75 percent nurture (your upbringing, religious views, parental views on sex) and 25 percent genetics. Basically, they studied tons of people (literally, 375,000 people) between the ages of 40 to 69 to get the dirt on how old they were when they did the dirty. What it comes down to is that there are “38 sections of DNA found to affect the age at which people first had sex were genes that drive reproductive biology, such as the release of sex hormones and the age of puberty.” But, in that, there are two gene traits that stand out.
Stay with me, it’ll all make sense in a second.
- A variant of CADM2 (a gene, it’s a gene) was linked to an early start of wanting that sex life and having a lot of kids. These people are also risk takers and a bit more rebellious.
- And a variant of MSRA (also a gene) was linked to “irritability” and people waiting until later in life to get it on. These people were more cautious and followed the rules.
And these traits are literally inside of us when we’re born! But wait, it gets weirder. Here are some other factors that influence the age you lost it:
- If you’re a girl with freckles, you’re more likely to lose it later.
- And if you’re a male OR female redhead, you’re also more likely to sit on the bench a little longer.
- If you lost it earlier, your chances of getting higher education decrease.
- And if you lost it earlier, you’re more likely to have kids earlier in life. And have more of them.
- Plus, people who started puberty earlier also had a higher chance of losing the V earlier too.
So what does this mean? If you’re a freckled, non-risk taking red-haired girl you’ll never have sex? Maybe. But it also means that, while 25 percent is a pretty huge number for genetics to influence when we practice the ol’ P in the V, that other 75 perfect has a hell of a lot more to do with it. Still, if you’re wondering why you lost it before the average age of 18, it might just be thanks to your DNA. Sorry high school boyfriend. It wasn’t you, it was my genetics..
[via The Guardian]
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