A new study out of Canada has found that both “pre-sex affectionate behaviour” (e.g. kissing, cuddling and foreplay) and post-sex aftercare that lasts at least six minutes can make participants feel “very sexually satisfied.”
Findings showed that “71 per cent of women who had six to ten minutes of post sex affectionate behaviour rated their most recent intercourse as very pleasurable compared to just 44 per cent of women who had zero to five minutes of post-sex affectionate behaviour.”
Researchers have labeled the phenomenon, the ‘six-minute rule’.
Study author Robin Milhausen – a sexuality professor at the University of Guelph – explains that heterosexual relationships are too focused on penis into vagina (PIV) intercourse.
“Oftentimes, we forget about the opportunity that comes from bonding after sex,” she told Refinery29.
“We’re vulnerable, we feel relaxed, we feel really connected, and so, that’s a perfect time for intimacy that can lead to more sexual satisfaction.”
Considering it takes between 10 and 15 minutes for a woman to orgasm, if you’re one to pop the champagne bottle early, you might need to spend a bit more than six minutes heating the oven.