No sex please, men just want cuddles

The study showed that men who regularly cuddled and kissed their partners were three times as satisfied as those who did not. Photo / Thinkstock

Men over 40 prefer a cuddle to sex and those who get more are more satisfied, a study has found.

The study by the Kinsey Institute in the United States showed men who regularly cuddled and kissed their partners were three times as satisfied as those who did not.

More than 1000 people from the US, Brazil, Germany, Japan and Spain aged between 40 and 70 were asked gender-specific questions, and were either married or living with partners, the average relationship length being 25 years.

But in street interviews of New Zealand men, the results were different. Those willing to comment said they preferred sex, or both sex and cuddling - but cuddling on its own was not enough.

"You have to have both to have a happy relationship," said one.

Women in the Kinsey study, who are generally assumed to be more emotionally dependent, showed affection had little impact on their levels of happiness. They were more interested in sex.

Institute director Julia Heiman said men reported relationship happiness in later years, and women had increased satisfaction sexually over time.

"Possibly, women become more satisfied over time because their expectations change, or life changes with the children grown."

Meanwhile, a study that has followed 1265 people since they were born in Christchurch in 1977 appears to support claims that New Zealand women are promiscuous.

Professor David Fergusson, head of the Christchurch Health and Development Study, said half the men in the study had at least 15 sexual partners by age 30, and half the women had at least 10 partners. Figures in a similar Dunedin study reported yesterday were 10 for men and eight for women.

- additional reporting by Agencies