Older people tend to focus on quality rather than quantity when they are in the bedroom, a study found.
They put more “thought and effort” into sex that offsets a possible drop off in libido in our 60s and beyond.
They also draw on their experiences in life and use them to make themselves more considerate sexual partners.
Sex has long been thought of as the one area of our lives which gets worse with age.
Whilst we benefit from experience at work as we get older and become better at managing our money, sex seems to be the thing which passes us by.
The researchers from the University of Minnesota however found that this was not the case.
They analysed data on 6,000 people aged 20 to 93 based on survey questions completed by mail in 1995, 2003, and 2013.
Researchers found that quality and not quantity appeared to be the thing that older lovers were striving for.
Lead researcher Miri Forbes said that the “frequency of sex became less important with age, and the amount of thought and effort invested in sex became more important.”
She wrote: “These changing priorities were key predictors of sexual quality of life for older adults, and appeared to buffer its decline.
“When we matched older and younger adults on key characteristics of their sex lives - along with sociodemographic characteristics, and mental and physical health - older adults actually had better sexual quality of life.”
The study said that, given a choice between a 40-year-old man and a 50-year-old man who invested the same amount of thought and effort and had sex with the same number of partners, the 50-year-old would have a better sex life.
Miss Forbes said: “Together these findings suggest that as we age, our sexual priorities change and we develop knowledge, skills and preferences that protect against aging-related declines in sexual quality of life.
“Since wisdom is ‘the quality of having experience, knowledge and good judgment’, our study suggests that life experience is fostering sexual wisdom.
“This is great news, as a satisfying sex life has been found to be important for health and well-being, regardless of age. For older adults in particular, being sexually active predicts a longer and healthier life.”
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