People who wait until their 20s before having sex are more likely to enjoy a happy, satisfying relationship in later life than those who have sex in their teens, a major new study has found.

Research conducted by the University of Texas also found those who abstain until at least 20 years old were more likely to have had a university education and work in a well-paid job, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph.

Those who delayed their first sexual experience were also likely to have fewer sexual partners  later in life but less likely to be married.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, observed and investigated 1,659 same-sex sibling pairs between the ages of 16 to 29.

By recording when they lost their virginity, a team led by scientist Paige Harden attempted to find whether the timing of “sexual initiation” had a significant effect on other areas of life.  

Speaking of the findings, Dr Harden said: “Individuals who first navigate intimate relationships in young adulthood, after they have accrued cognitive and emotional maturity, may learn more effective relationship skills than individuals who first learn scripts for intimate relationships while they are still teenagers.”

The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health to class participants who lost their virginity at younger than 15 as “early” (compared with the average), those who had sex between 15 and 19 as “on-time” (again compared with the average) and those older than 19 as “late”.

It found those who were “late” had higher educational attainment and higher household income in adulthood when compared with the early and on-time groups.

Those who were married or living with a partner also claimed to be more satisfied in their relationships.

Dr Harden said the association held up even after taking genetic and environmental factors into account and could not be explained by differences in adult educational attainment, income, or religiousness, or by adolescent differences in dating involvement, body mass index, or attractiveness.

She said the results suggest that the timing of sexual intercourse predicts the quality and stability of romantic relationships in young adulthood.

“It’s possible, for example, that people who have their first sexual encounter later also have certain characteristics – for example, secure attachment style – that have downstream effects on both sexual delay and on relationship quality,” Dr Harden said.

“They could be pickier in choosing romantic and sexual partners, resulting in a reluctance to enter into intimate relationships unless they are very satisfying.

“It’s also possible, however, that people who have their first sexual encounter later have different experiences, avoiding early encounters with relational aggression or victimization that would otherwise have detrimental effects on later romantic outcomes.”