Breakfast and virginity

A recent Japanese study of 3000 people has found a correlation between not eating breakfast and losing one's virginity earlier. They speculate that the same lack of stability that would indicate a lesser likelihood of having a morning meal before heading off to school would promote the same type of conditions in which an underage person began engaging in sex.

People who skip breakfast tend to lose their virginity earlier, according to researchers in Japan.

In a study of 3000 people, those who did not regularly eat breakfast in their early teens said they lost their virginity at an average age of 17.5, versus an overall average age of 19 for all Japanese.

Those who had a morning meal when they were younger had their first sexual experience at 19.4 years.

The study, backed by Japan's health ministry, was aimed at finding ways to curb unwanted pregnancies. It concluded that a stable home life discouraged early sex.

"Those unhappy with their parents - such as for not preparing breakfast - may tend to find a way to release their frustration by having sex," said Kunio Kitamura, head of the Japan Family Planning Association who led the research.

"If children don't feel comfortable in their family environment, they tend to go out."

Young people who start having sex early tended to miss breakfast because they return home late, he said.

I'm just glad that clever headline writers didn't realize that Japanese breakfast is a lot like other meals of the day, possibly including soup rather than corn flakes, otherwise we'd have ended up with headlines like "Miso horny" or some such.

Oh, wait, there's more:

Japan has one of the world's lowest birthrates as more young people put off starting families, finding them a burden on their careers or lifestyles.

The survey also found that nearly 40 per cent of married couples had not had sex in more than a month.

Respondents said they were too tired because of work or found sex to be a pain, according to the study.

If sex is a pain, you're not doing it right.