Wanted: A long and lasting lover
THERE is no written rule dictating how long the sexual act should last, but many women might agree that the general rule of thumb is that a man should never finish before his partner. The Jamaican culture has matched sexual prowess with stamina, giving birth to various sexual enhancement industries, and the rise of sales of herbal and roots mixes such as spirulina and medina, and mixtures like the Vybz Kartel-inspired ‘Buck up inna’ — a mixture of Supligen, raw peanuts and oats. All these promulgate the push to see the act go on for much, much longer than the “average”, as dictated in a US study.
The 2008 study, Canadian and American Sex Therapists’ Perceptions of Normal and Abnormal Ejaculatory Latencies: How Long Should Intercourse Last?, conducted by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Penn State, Pennsylvania, and published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, revealed that sex considered “adequate” lasted from three to seven minutes.
This did not include foreplay, but respondents listed “desirable” as being from seven to 13 minutes; “too short” from one to two minutes, and “too long” from 10 to 30 minutes.
The researchers had polled expert sex therapists — a random sample of members of the Society for Sex Therapy and Research in the United States and Canada — as to what were “adequate”, “desirable”, “too short”, and “too long” experiences.
But do Jamaicans concur? All Woman asked readers to share how long they believe intercourse should last, and here’s what they said:
Shanice, 29, realtor:
I believe about half an hour is more than adequate time, but even 20 minutes is good for me. I think any time between these times is a good, healthy time.
Jamie, 33, inventory manager:
Well, about 10 minutes. I can climax with the right position in two minutes, and he gets eight minutes to enjoy himself. Sounds like a plan to me.
Michelle, 31, sales representative:
I don’t think there is a set time that we should aim for. I think satisfaction comes from both partners finishing, and if it happens together, even better. But really, it depends on individual couples and what they want. Personally, once I climax, I’m done.
Shaniel, 32, police officer:
Personally, 15 minutes shortest, 30 minutes longest. After reaching the stars, mi really nuh waan go no further. I will wait until I die to see heaven’s gates.
Susanna, 27, entertainment coordinator:
No more than 20 minutes; after that it is likely to become boring and drawn out, and sometimes any time after this point in sex it becomes more about the man proving himself.
Dwayne, 40, operations manager:
I say two minutes, because men work really hard. Anything beyond that is a bonus.
Omar, 38, insurance agent:
Sex should last about one hour, when you add foreplay and everything and all the nice things to please the lady. If it is a quickie, I would say about five minutes.
Terry, 38, hairstylist:
I will definitely have to go with 10 to 15 minutes. I don’t want a soul on me too long. I get tired easily and my body is hard to maintain.
Carlos, 45, contractor:
I think 30-45 minutes per session is a good time. I am old now. The young boys can drink up them “buck up inna” and go for two and three hours.
