Studies claim that sex outside of marriage has no ill effects on teenagers' grades in school, nor on future "long-term relationships."
How many intelligent adults over age 50 would actually believe this? This clearly doesn't pass the common-sense test.
-- From "Study: Casual sex doesn't kill chance of long-term relationship" by Robert Preidt, HealthDay 9/4/10
University of Iowa researchers analyzed relationship surveys and found that average relationship quality was higher for people who took it slowly than for those who became sexually involved in "hook-ups," casual dating, or "friends with benefits" relationships.
However, having sex early on wasn't the reason for this disparity, according to UI sociologist Anthony Paik. When he factored out people who weren't interested in getting serious, he found that those who became sexually involved as friends or acquaintances and were open to a serious relationship were just as happy as those who dated but delayed having sex.
"The study suggests that rewarding relationships are possible for those who delay sex. But it's also possible for true love to emerge if things start off with a more Sex and the City approach, when people spot each other across the room, become sexually involved and then build a relationship," [said UI sociologist Anthony Paik].
The study is published in the August issue of the journal Social Science Research.
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From "Teen sex not always bad for school performance" by Alicia Chang, Associated Press 8/15/10
A provocative new study has found that teens in committed relationships do no better or worse in school than those who don't have sex.
The same isn't true for teens who "hook up." Researchers found that those who have casual flings get lower grades and have more school-related problems compared with those who abstain.
The findings, presented . . . at a meeting of the American Sociological Association in Atlanta, challenge to some extent assumptions that sexually active teens tend to do poorer in school.
It's not so much whether a teen has sex that determines academic success, the researchers say, but the type of sexual relationship they're engaged in. Teens in serious relationships may find social and emotional support in their sex partners, reducing their anxiety and stress levels in life and in school.
Last year, nearly half of high school students reported having sexual intercourse, and 14 percent have had four or more partners, according to a federal survey released this summer.
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