A new study published in the journal Nature Genetics has officially discovered a link between DNA and when individuals first have sex. This research claims to have discovered the ‘risk-taking’ genes that influence the timing of when people lose their virginity.
The 38 sections of DNA comprise genes that drive reproductive biology, such as the release of sex hormones and the age of puberty. Others appear to impact appearance, personality and behavior. According to the research, the most common age to lose virginity for both men and women was found to be 18.
The scientists also found that gene variations affecting hair color also influence sexual behavior, with redheads more likely to lose their virginity later in life.Another gene observed by researchers, MSRA, was linked to irritability, found in people who lost their virginity later than average.
“Genetically predicted skin freckling seemed to promote later AFS [adult first sexual experience] in women but not in men and genetically predicted red hair seemed to promote later AFS in both men and women,” the report states.
Researchers also found a link between the early onset of puberty which is frequently caused by poor nutrition and the age of first sexual encounter. Scientists hope to use this research to inform future preventative efforts to delay teenage years in young children.
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