How much sex is the perfect amount of sex? If you’re tuned into popular culture and modern media, you’ve probably seen comedians and sitcom characters mock and complain about the their sexual partners less-than-stellar performances. For some, this means the man only lasts a few minutes — or in worse cases scenarios, only a few seconds before his (not her) orgasmic bliss peaks. A great deal of effort goes into the set up of what turns out to be a short lived burst of energy, often followed by a nap.

In other instances, foreplay might be brief, or skipped altogether, while the lovemaking itself is awkward and arrhythmic. The fault for theses transitory amorous encounters — at least in the world of the standup comedy— seems to rest at the doorstep of the males. Yet if you pay attention to television, film and print closely, the would-be Don Juans of the world putting in marathon performances also get a bad rap from time to time. Apparently there is a time limit to sexual endurance, and orgasms can be faked — as some of the characters in Showtime’s Master of Sex have admitted to — in order to put an end to coitus, and get on with whatever else the day or night has in store, other than the act of procreation.

Obviously no on wants to be (or be with) a “minuteman,” yet carnal artists working their magic for hours on end aren’t always appreciated. So again, the question needs to be asked — what is perfect amount of sex?

It turns out that the perfect amount of sex, taken as an overall average, is about 7-13 minutes. Of course, couples will experience epic bouts of lovemaking (hopefully) when hormones, need and wanton passions rage, but in general sessions that last less than 3 minutes, but go over 13 minutes, tend to be frowned upon by the masses. Apparently folks have better things to do once their basic desires have been satiated, or they’ve quenched the passions of a frisky partner who won’t let them get to sleep.

If you’re a detailed type of person, and want to know the optimal time limit for sexual encounters, then the correct amount of sex, according to Dr. Irwin Goldstein, is a whopping (or dismal, depending on your perspective) 7.3 minutes.

Some of you might be reading this and thinking, “Good Lord, 13 minutes is nothing at all,” while others might be pondering that 3-minute mark in the same manner Sir Edmund Hillary contemplated Mount Everest’s distant summit.

The point, despite statistical averages, is to take account of your own limits and desires, and those of your partner. Maybe you could afford to increase your performance time in bed a tad, or conversely, cut back on the three hour Cirque Du Soleil routine you execute for your lover every night. Tastes and needs vary, but with a little experimentation — and if you can stomach it, and actual conversation about sexuality, you, and your partner can find the right rhythm and the perfect amount of sex for both of you.