Sex toys, multiple partners, anal sex or BDSM? New study reveals Norwegian sex habits
61 per cent of Norwegians have had the same experimental sexual experience.
“When we look at the big picture, what we see is an increase of variation and diversity in people’s sex lives,” Bente Træen says to national newspaper VG.
A professor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Oslo, Træen has lead and participated in several of the great surveys on sexual habits in the Norwegian population since the 1990s.
In her most recent survey, 4160 Norwegians aged between 18-89 years answered questions about their sex lives. Some of the results were recently published in an article on sexual variety in the Journal of Sex Research.
93.5 per cent of the respondents identified as heterosexual, 2.6 as homosexual or lesbian and 3.3 as bisexual.
Born after the 1960s
The increased sexual diversity starts with the generations born after 1960 – they have more varied sexual experiences than previous generations, according to the study.
A slight precaution – 20-30 years ago people were asked questions about unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmittable diseases, not whether they used sex toys or had tried anal sex. When the researchers ask about different sexual activities and preferences today, they don’t really have data to compare the answers with.
Still, Træen maintains that there has been a change.
“Through the media, people have gained a lot more knowledge about the fact that there are many different ways of ‘doing’ sex,” she says to VG.
Popular culture and research has brought about a change, and a greater acceptance for diversity, according to the sexologist.
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Sex on the beach
So what is it Norwegians like to experiment with then?
The three most common sexual experiences that are referred to as experimental are:
- Having sex in unusual places (61%)
- Using sex toys (56%)
- Watching porn with a partner (42%)
The researchers were surprised that sex in an unusual place topped the list. Træen believes it might have something to do with the common sexual fantasy of having sex in a spot where one might get caught.
“So having sex in an entryway or at the beach can be experienced as very exciting,” she says.
Oral sex is totally mainstream
Numbers for oral and anal sex are not a part of the recently published article, but it was asked about in the survey.
Oral sex is no longer experimental, according to the researchers.
“Oral sex has become mainstream and is a regular part of peoples’ sexual lives,” Træen says.
41 per cent of the men and 45 per cent of the women who were in a couple responded that oral featured the last time they had sex.
Træen believes it might have something to do with there being more focus on foreplay and the woman’s lust and enjoyment today.
Anal sex has also become more common to try. Half of the women who have turned 24 years have tried it, as well as half of the men aged 27.
Few respond that they had anal the last time hey had sex however, so this sexual act is considered experimental.
“It’s something you try, but might not incorporate as a part of the regular every day sex life,” Træen says.
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Switching partners, not so much
The least common things to try out are as follows:
- Swinger's clubs and switching partners (2%)
- BDSM (10% had tried this on average, but it’s more common among those under 30)
- Role play (13%)
There are also significant gender differences when it comes to what women and men have tried, what they want to try and what they do not wish to try, VG writes.
Men were more eager to try having sex with multiple partners, go to swinger's clubs, do role play and switch partners.
According to Træen, having group sex is a very common sexual fantasy for men.
However, while only 2 per cent had tried a swinger's club or switched partners, the percentage of people who have had sex with multiple partners is much higher.
Almost 50 per cent of the LGB men (48,5 per cent) and 15,5 per cent of the heterosexual men reported group sex experiences. Corresponding numbers for the women were 29,3 per cent of the LGB women, and 10,8 per cent of the heterosexual women.
“This is about there being a difference in whether it’s a formal setting or not," Træen explains to VG.
"It can happen that you have sex with multiple partners at a party, when it happens spontaneously, but that there's a higher threshold for going to an actual swinger's club," she says.
Stay in tune with boundaries
Psychologist and professor Frode Thuen says that it’s a positive thing that people are more open to sexual diversity and many ways of being sexual together.
“This might be one of the positive effects of the fact that people watch more porn than previously”, he says to VG.
He cautions however that it’s important to always be aware and respectful of your own and your partner’s boundaries.
“The biggest danger of sexual experimentation is that you take it too far. That you end up doing something you didn’t really want to do. It can be a nice thing to accommodate your partner when it comes to sexual preferences and desires, but it should not conflict with your own boundaries and preferences,” he stresses.
