A survey of sex therapists has brought a startling truth to the world when it comes to sex.

But for some reason, women are not all that surprised.

The survey has found that men are not as macho in the bedroom as they think they are.

The findings of the survey are to be published in the May issue of the Journal of Sexual Medicine. And they offer some information that everyone should appreciate.

It starts with the notion that people are generally uptight about sex.

“There are so many myths in our culture of what other people are doing sexually,” Marianne Brandon, a clinical psychologist from Annapolis, Md., told the Associated Press. “Most people’s sex lives are not as exciting as other people think they are.”

Boy, there’s a shocker.

For men or women who have had to endure some egotist drone on in a locker room or a social setting about how magnificent they or their partner are in the bedroom, this is not surprising. Isn’t it amazing how some people will reveal the most intimate aspects of their lives to people who would most certainly rather hear a lecture on the tribal peoples of South America?

The survey points out something that will disarm all the men who have to feel like they’re the king of the jungle and all the women who feel like they have to be the unrealistic image of sexuality. The survey indicates that the optimal amount of time for sexual intercourse is a whopping 3 to 13 minutes (minus the foreplay).

Or, to put it another way, perhaps fewer minutes than it takes a smoker to finish a cigarette.

The survey, intentional or not, gives further evidence that sex is overrated in the American culture. That is evident with advertising campaigns that are provocative in nature for products that apparently cannot stand on their own.

It is true that sex sells. And, as it turns out, it’s sold for more than it’s worth.

Rick Greene is the managing editor of The Ironton Tribune. He can be reached at (740) 532-1441, ext. 12, or by e-mail at rick.greene@irontontribune.com.