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---
description: It has a big effect on self-esteem
title: 10 Secrets You Need to Know About Sexual Satisfaction, Backed By Research
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* [Ideas](/section/ideas/)  
## Ideas  

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# 10 Secrets About Sexual Satisfaction, Backed by Science


by 

[Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/)


## Eric Barker


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Jun 23, 2015 4:01 AM CUT

![red-rose-bouquet](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt65a616150b8513ef/698854e03c16391aa945868e/450742595-copy.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=3:2)

A bouquet of red roses, high angle view, close-up

A bouquet of red roses, high angle view, close-upGetty Images

by 

[Eric Barker](/author/eric-barker/)


## Eric Barker


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Jun 23, 2015 4:01 AM CUT

* [Here’s](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-factors-are-associated-with-sexual-satis "undefined") a list of scientific factors associated with sexual satisfaction.

* Birth control pills make women more likely to pick men [who satisfy them less sexually but make them more satisfied with their relationships.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-increases-a-womans-relationship-satisfac "undefined")

* What women look for in one night stands and long term relationships is [very different](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-do-women-look-for-in-a-one-night-stand-v "undefined").

* [Age difference](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-factors-are-associated-with-marital-and "undefined") has a big effect on how sexually satisfied husbands and wives are.

* [Here](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/what-keeps-men-and-women-sexually-satisfied "undefined")‘s a list of what keeps men and women sexually satisfied over time.

* Here’s one you probably knew but let’s put the issue to rest: [Yes, men want sex more than women](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/is-there-really-a-gender-difference-in-streng "undefined").

* The more a man uses porn, the less happy he is with his relationship. The more a woman uses porn, [the happier a man is with his relationship.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-does-porn-affect-mens-relationship-satisf "undefined")

* A woman’s level of sexual satisfaction [can predict her mental health and physical health.](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/can-a-womans-level-of-sexual-satisfaction-pre "undefined")

* Sexual satisfaction early in a marriage [keeps couples together years later](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/does-good-sex-keep-a-marriage-stable-over-the "undefined").

* Increasing the amount of [good sex](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/how-to-increase-the-amount-of-good-sex-you-ha "undefined") you have is more about self-esteem than getting kinky.

**Join over 190,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email** [**here**](http://eepurl.com/o6uAD "undefined")**.**

**_This piece originally appeared on_** [**_Barking Up the Wrong Tree_**](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2012/03/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-sexual-satisfa/ "undefined")**_._**

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[How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/10/how-to-get-people-to-like-you/ "undefined")

[New Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful](http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2014/09/be-more-successful/ "undefined")

### Sex Ed Books Through the Ages

![“Those who look at our bodily dwelling can gain a very good idea of what we are... The care of our body, then, adds to our value,” advised Barbara Wood-Allen in  1897's  "Self and Series: What a Young Girl Ought to Know."](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacdf841f66b5324d/698765a03c1639023e44f9b5/sex-ed-books-31.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

“Those who look at our bodily dwelling can gain a very good idea of what we are... The care of our body, then, adds to our value,” advised Barbara Wood-Allen in 1897's "Self and Series: What a Young Girl Ought to Know." 

!["When the organs peculiar to woman are displaced or disordered ...pangs shoot through her like winged piercing arrows or darting needlepoints" wrote mail order doctor Lydia Pinkham in 1907. ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt93714b25ed703c4b/6987654ecd1bbaea7a6f31d4/sex-ed-book-16.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"When the organs peculiar to woman are displaced or disordered ...pangs shoot through her like winged piercing arrows or darting needlepoints" wrote mail order doctor Lydia Pinkham in 1907. 

![Published by the Christian Education Service, of Nashville, Tennessee, during the 60s, it was written by one of the founders of SIECUS ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltefb6b77c03b68e1f/6987654c0b72e313b66db7f5/sex-ed-book-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Published by the Christian Education Service, of Nashville, Tennessee, during the 60s, it was written by one of the founders of SIECUS 


!["When the natural God-designed and God-honored sex instinct is perverted and base desire supplants love, in the choice of a companion, the home instinct is degraded, love dethroned and inharmony prevails," wrote Thomas Washington Shannon in 1913.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf5e58bd09af98a87/698765a02dce01c1c59db744/sex-ed-books-32.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"When the natural God-designed and God-honored sex instinct is perverted and base desire supplants love, in the choice of a companion, the home instinct is degraded, love dethroned and inharmony prevails," wrote Thomas Washington Shannon in 1913. 

!["It is probably best,  that the life-like illustrations, some of them photographic, in books of human anatomy be kept away from boys of early adolescent age" counseled Maurice Alpheus Bigelow in 1916. ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf3c42e660a5118aa/6987654acd684862cc0979c3/sex-ed-book-27.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"It is probably best, that the life-like illustrations, some of them photographic, in books of human anatomy be kept away from boys of early adolescent age" counseled Maurice Alpheus Bigelow in 1916. 

!["... the woman so under the influence of liquor is, for the time being, little more than a "cave woman," or barbarian, with all the lax sex morality of the latter," wrote R.B. Armitage in 1917](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteff02c711cba334f/69876550cd1bbac1966f31d8/sex-ed-book-26.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"... the woman so under the influence of liquor is, for the time being, little more than a "cave woman," or barbarian, with all the lax sex morality of the latter," wrote R.B. Armitage in 1917 


![This 1928 volume was directed to the "young man whose aim is to be sturdy, strong and successful." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb23cf67dc42df00b/6987654e8e06011b29458319/sex-ed-book-13.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

This 1928 volume was directed to the "young man whose aim is to be sturdy, strong and successful." 

!["Dr. Norman Carr," the pamphlet informed readers in 1934, "is probably the most widely read author on this subject in the entire world." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt925de92d66fcba2c/69876547cd684894d50979b9/sex-ed-book-20.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"Dr. Norman Carr," the pamphlet informed readers in 1934, "is probably the most widely read author on this subject in the entire world." 

![First issued in 1949, this booklet warned: "Don’t forget that any woman who lets you use her, or who consents easily, is not safe."](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt468669bcc58948c8/69876547e20a873fada82f14/sex-ed-book-21.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

First issued in 1949, this booklet warned: "Don’t forget that any woman who lets you use her, or who consents easily, is not safe." 


![From 1941, "An intellectual and frank discussion of subjects of Social Hygiene, Physiology, the Science of Sex, Moral Living, Character Building, Motherhood and PreNatal Care." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6bfc3a52a2015ac9/6987654b55a8594350a83b49/sex-ed-book-10.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

From 1941, "An intellectual and frank discussion of subjects of Social Hygiene, Physiology, the Science of Sex, Moral Living, Character Building, Motherhood and PreNatal Care." 

![This 1941 manual includes a diagram entitled "Facts you Should Know for Defloration on Bridal Night." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07001b03accc566a/6987654c55a8595301a83b4d/sex-ed-book-9.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

This 1941 manual includes a diagram entitled "Facts you Should Know for Defloration on Bridal Night." 

![This 1943 book kept in simple with little line drawings accompanying text like:  "Here is the way you looked when you were ready to be born..." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb3c9e9d213d2fcb4/69876549e53aba8ef44d5857/se-ed-book-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

This 1943 book kept in simple with little line drawings accompanying text like: "Here is the way you looked when you were ready to be born..." 


![The author of this 1944 guide, Belle Mooney, was touted as "a well-known physician pioneer and lecturer on hygienic and sociological subjects." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt651739c379676327/6987654d5f570f09b5b1336a/sex-ed-book-cover-14.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

The author of this 1944 guide, Belle Mooney, was touted as "a well-known physician pioneer and lecturer on hygienic and sociological subjects." 

!["Sooner or later your children are going to learn about sex. They ought to. They must," wrote Fathers Rumble and Carty in this 1950  textbook for Catholics. ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd8f3fde97b99e8c0/6987659f0b72e363e06db898/sex-ed-books-29.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"Sooner or later your children are going to learn about sex. They ought to. They must," wrote Fathers Rumble and Carty in this 1950 textbook for Catholics. 

![Written in 1950 by pioneering sexologist David Cauldwell, who's credited with inventing the term transexual. ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltfe656a6d4652a49d/6987654fa988ca3d0f6aa579/sex-ed-book-17.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

Written in 1950 by pioneering sexologist David Cauldwell, who's credited with inventing the term transexual. 


![In cheerful 1950 parlance it reads: "Lucky boys and girls whose parents, teachers and leaders provide this book for them\! It would be a good idea for the old folks to read it too." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt3ec51096254df653/6987654a8e06012aac458311/sex-ed-book-11.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

In cheerful 1950 parlance it reads: "Lucky boys and girls whose parents, teachers and leaders provide this book for them! It would be a good idea for the old folks to read it too." 

!["The smart writer... who says flatfootedly or insinuates cleverly that sex experience before marriage is necessary for happiness in marriage is a plain liar and an elaborate traitor to young people," cautioned Daniel Lord in 1951.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1440d883bc4f6fb7/6987654d06f2c1459b331de3/sex-ed-books-7.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"The smart writer... who says flatfootedly or insinuates cleverly that sex experience before marriage is necessary for happiness in marriage is a plain liar and an elaborate traitor to young people," cautioned Daniel Lord in 1951. 

!["Here is a complete analysis of young people's sexual problems and mores—from kindergarten to college —a comprehensive case-history study of the new rebellion,"  promised this 1962 paperback.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt157bfc8107c96472/6987654c5f570f3207b13362/sex-ed-5-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"Here is a complete analysis of young people's sexual problems and mores—from kindergarten to college —a comprehensive case-history study of the new rebellion," promised this 1962 paperback. 


!["Before boys are ready to get married and start a family, they must at least be able to earn a living," claimed this otherwise very hip Lutheran church publication in 1967.](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte4168f35bfb1758c/698765492dce01797e9db6b6/sex-ed-3.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"Before boys are ready to get married and start a family, they must at least be able to earn a living," claimed this otherwise very hip Lutheran church publication in 1967. 

!["At the most basic level, a concern with sex education must stem from the recognition that human socio-sexual development is a learning process," said this scholarly 1974 journal. ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8511858c350ef7dc/6987654de53aba4a1d4d5867/sex-ed-books-12.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"At the most basic level, a concern with sex education must stem from the recognition that human socio-sexual development is a learning process," said this scholarly 1974 journal. 

![This 1974 pamphlet was part of a collection of self help books from Ms. Landers including: “Teen-age Sex. And 10 Ways to Cool It\!” and “Love or Sex. And How to Tell the Difference.”](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blted1c249ca541fd3e/698765a0cd1bba5df06f3282/sex-ed-books-30.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

This 1974 pamphlet was part of a collection of self help books from Ms. Landers including: “Teen-age Sex. And 10 Ways to Cool It!” and “Love or Sex. And How to Tell the Difference.” 


![From 1983: "Ugly women have boyfriends, mean women have boyfriends, hopelessly insecure women have boyfriends, stupid women have boyfriends, women covered with hideous warts have boyfriends." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt380bbf3cf55f6507/69876548428a9e60d9cc5012/sex-ed-book-24.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

From 1983: "Ugly women have boyfriends, mean women have boyfriends, hopelessly insecure women have boyfriends, stupid women have boyfriends, women covered with hideous warts have boyfriends." 

![This 1993 book claims  that "classroom sex education is always wrong and always harmful; that it destroys modesty; awakens the passions; promotes sexual activity and fosters acceptance of sexual sins." ](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e6510120464c236/6987654b8e06010d74458315/sex-ed-4-1.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

This 1993 book claims that "classroom sex education is always wrong and always harmful; that it destroys modesty; awakens the passions; promotes sexual activity and fosters acceptance of sexual sins." 

!["Sex is many different things, and people have many different feelings and opinions about it," says this 1994 classic, in admirable understatement. 
<strong>Read more: <a href="http://time.com/why-schools-cant-teach-sex-ed/" target="_blank">Why Schools Can't Teach Sex Ed</a></strong>](https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt00e530ea7b34ac61/6987654806f2c1ee0d331dd5/sex-ed-book-23.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp)

"Sex is many different things, and people have many different feelings and opinions about it," says this 1994 classic, in admirable understatement. Read more: Why Schools Can't Teach Sex Ed

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