Sex is important. Romantic partnerships, typically sexual, are often among the most central relationships in people’s lives, providing a number of personal, health, social and economic benefits.
But what about people who don’t have sex?
In a new one, the differences between mature adults who never had sex and those who had. We found that the absence of sex is associated with a number of genetic, environmental, physical and mental factors – but much remains obscure.
Life without sex
Some people – often described as “asexuals” – simply do not want sex.
However, those who want, but cannot find appropriate and willing partners, may be vulnerable to mental health problems and loneliness, social embarrassment and economic disadvantages (for example, not cohabiting with a partner). The people involved in “INCEL” cultures (involuntary celibaries) Online may even be at risk of radicalization.
Therefore, it is important to understand more about people who do not have sex.
Knowing the characteristics associated with asexuality would help to understand its causes and consequences. It can also support strategies to remove barriers that prevent people from finding satisfactory relationships.
For more, about 400,000 residents of the UK were studied aged between 39 and 73 years and 13,500 Australian residents aged 18 to 89 years. About 1% of men and women had not had sex.
The team examined associations between asexuality and genes, the social environment and various physical, cognitive, personality and mental health traits.
Proportions between sexes and income inequality
Asexual men tended to live in UK regions with relatively fewer women.
In both men and women, asexuality was more common in regions with greater income inequality.
These new discoveries are aligned with those of a previous study on “incel” publications on social networks. It was found that they were more likely to be originally from regions of the United States with relatively fewer women and greater income inequality.
Well-being and other factors
More common characteristics were also sought among people who have never had sex.
Asexual individuals tended to feel more nervous, lonely and less happy, and received Less visits from friends and family. They were also less likely to have someone to trust or believe that life has meaning.
These findings confirm the interconnection between sex and well-being.
People who had never had sex tended to consume Less Drugs and Alcoholto have greater education and start wearing glasses since younger.
Men with lower grip strength and lower muscle mass in the arms (indicators of the general force of the upper body) were less likely to have sex. There were no correlations among women.
Family stereotypes
The general standard observed among asexual people-intelligent, academically successful, with less physical strength and more social isolation- aligns with existing stereotypes of a lower romantic success, especially in adolescence.
Participants were middle-aged or older adults.
However, the use of glasses at an early age and other stereotyped features like nerds can disturb dating experiences in adolescence. This, in turn, can affect romantic confidence in adulthood.
No gene for asexuality
The study also had genetic data from all participants. This allowed to analyze whether genetic differences were associated with whether or not sexual relations practice.
Using what they called the analysis of wide genomic association, the authors found that the genes were responsible for 15% of the variation in the practice of sexual relations.
However, there were no individual genes with great effects. Instead, there were many genes, each with tiny effects.
Connections with intelligence, introversion and other characteristics
Genetic analyzes also allowed to detect genetic correlations with any other characteristics that have been genetically analyzed, even in separate studies. A genetic correlation indicates that genes associated with one feature are also associated with another feature.
In this way, a Interesting links series between asexuality and other characteristics.
In particular, there was a strong genetic correlation Not only with education, but also with measured intelligence. There were also correlations with greater performance and socioeconomic status.
The absence of sex was also positively correlated with introversion, the disturbance of the spectrum of autism and anorexia. However, it was negatively correlated with drugs related to drugs and alcohol, in addition to depression, anxiety and hyperactivity or attention deficit.
The cause and effect are difficult to discern
The results paint a complex frame. An important aspect of uncertainty is which causes are behind the standard of associations we find.
For example, not having sex can cause unhappiness. But unhappiness can also make it difficult to search for a partner, or a third factor can cause both unhappiness and difficulty finding a partner.
Another aspect of uncertainty is that participants only reported whether or not they had sex, and not if they ever wanted to have sex. Many asexual sample individuals can be asexual.
However, some of the results are difficult to explain by asexuality – for example, the connection with the local proportion of men to women and the negative association with male strength. The results probably reflect a mixture of voluntary and involuntary asexuality.
One step forward
The study represents a great advance in understanding asexuality. However, a more detailed assessment of desire and sexuality will be fundamental to better characterize the way asexuality relates to the interaction between genes, local environments, sexuality and culture.
Studies with more people, using more advanced methods, may also be able to separate cause and consequence.
