I will be celebrating my 30th birthday this year, and to put a positive spin on a milestone that can be met with some angst, my friend and fellow sex researcher recently began promoting 30 as the “XXX” birthday (30 in Roman numerals, a.k.a., “triple-X”). Although this was meant to simply put a fun spin on a sometimes-dreaded event, research suggests that 30 might really be a woman’s XXX birthday.
There is a popular perception that women reach their sexual peak after the age of 30 (men are thought to peak before 20)1 and research supports this.2 Women are, in fact, shown to be more lustful in their early 30s; a phenomenon that can be explained by evolutionary theory. Women experience maximum fertility in their early 30s with a pending decrease after the age of 35 (some health risks during pregnancy also increase after this age). To solve the reproductive problem of women’s declining fertility; women evolved a tendency toward increased sexual desire before this decline.2
Despite the popular perception that men’s sexual peak is around age 20, men did not show a substantial sexual peak, and reported their highest desire levels in their late 20s (closer to women’s peak).2
So ladies, celebrate 30 with joy (I will be); it really is the XXX birthday.
Interested in learning more about relationships? Click here for other topics on Science of Relationships. Like us on Facebook to get our articles delivered directly to your NewsFeed.
1Barr, A., Bryan, A., & Kenrick, D. T. (2002). Sexual peak: Socially shared cognitions about desire, frequency, and satisfaction in men and women. Personal Relationships, 9, 287-299
2Schmitt, D. P., Shackelford, T. K., Duntley, J., Tooke, W., Buss, D. M., Fisher, M. L., Lavallée, M., Vasey, P. (2002). Is there an early-30s peak in female sexual desire? Cross-sectional evidence from the United States and Canada. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 11, 1-18.
Amy Muise – Science of Relationships articles | Website/CV
Amy’s research focuses on sexuality, including the role of sexual motives in maintaining sexual desire in long-term relationships, and sexual well-being. She also studies the relational effects of new media, such as how technology influences dating scripts and the experience of jealousy.
