A new study has shown that couples who wait for intercourse until their marriage are much happier as compared to couples who indulge in it before getting married.

According to the study, stable and happier marriages are experienced by couples who delay sex until their wedding night.

In an online assessment of marriage called ‘RELATE’, the study involved 2,035 married participants.

It was seen that there was a 15 per cent more rated sexual quality in people who did not have premarital sex, about 22 per cent higher rated relationship stability, and about 20 per cent higher rated satisfaction with their relationships.

For couples who became sexually active later in their relationships but before marriage, the benefits were about half as strong.

Study author Dean Busby, PhD, a professor in Brigham Young University’s School of Family Life, said, “Most research on the topic is focused on individuals’ experiences and not the timing within a relationship. There’s more to a relationship than sex, but we did find that those who waited longer were happier with the sexual aspects of their relationship.”

Busby says, waiting for a longer time to indulge in sex gives more time to people to learn about each other and develop the skills necessary for good relationships.