Is it 5 or 7 Minutes in Heaven? An In-Depth History of the Classic Teen Party Game

For generations, 7 Minutes in Heaven has been a staple slumber party and teen movie trope. Two participants slip into a dark closet for seven steamy minutes of unsupervised fun. It’s a rite of passage and a recipe for grounding. But did you know the origins of 7 Minutes in Heaven may pre-date the baby boomers? Let’s unravel the history and debate around “Is it 5 or 7 minutes in heaven?”

The Game That Launched a Thousand Makeouts

Imagine the scene:

It’s 1952. You’re at poodle-skirt Patsy Meyer’s basement party. You and your circle of friends have polished off a few Coca-Colas and are bored with games like bridge and canasta. Suddenly, Patsy’s bad boy brother Sonny suggests everyone write their name on a slip of paper and toss it in Patsy’s cloche hat. Sonny will draw two names at a time who’ll spend seven minutes together in the coat closet.

At first, you blush. But Sonny says not to be such a wet rag—it’s all just good clean fun! Before you know it, you’re in the dark closet giggling with Jimmy O’Doyle. And seven minutes later, you walk out straightening your skirt with your first kiss under your belt.

Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone! Seven Minutes in Heaven may have been shocking in the Eisenhower era, but it quickly caught on as a way for hormonal teens to explore intimacy just short of going “all the way.”

Of course, no one knows exactly when or where Seven Minutes in Heaven originated. But oral histories suggest the game may have been played as early as the 1940s and kicked off the trend of “spin the bottle” style party games.

For example, in a 2004 interview, Sheila Cohen of Teaneck, New Jersey explained:

“I kissed my first boy Danny Ackerman playing ‘Seven Minutes in Heaven’ at my 13th birthday party in 1946. Back then, it was so risque! My friend Betty Stern’s older sister taught us how to play. I’ll never forget those seven minutes in the closet with Danny. It felt like heaven!”

While it shocked some mid-century parents, Seven Minutes in Heaven was mild compared to the free love experimentation of later decades. For curious teens, it allowed a literal “trial run” to gauge chemistry and compatibility with potential love interests without going overboard.

Of course, not everyone played. But if you were a 1950s adolescent looking to expand your horizons beyond soda shops and sock hops, chances are Seven Minutes in Heaven was on your radar!

Raging Hormones + Lack of Supervision = Moral Panic

You might assume Seven Minutes in Heaven spread organically as a youthful lark. But many parents and authorities saw it as a moral panic besieging the innocent youth of America.

One of the earliest references comes from a damning 1953 article in Better Homes and Gardens titled “Are We Parenting Juvenile Delinquents?” Writer Dorothy Bartlett blamed working mothers, comic books, and “the so-called Seven Minutes in Heaven fad” for corrupting teens.

“We cannot stick our heads in the sand while our teenagers play sexually provocative games at unsupervised parties. The Seven Minutes in Heaven trend promotes necking and petting in closets like shameful back-alley deviants.”

Yikes! Tell us how you really feel, Dorothy!

But she wasn’t alone in clutching her pearls. By 1955, the New York Times reported that police across the country were being “flooded with complaints” about risqué teen parties. Sheriff Edgar Wolfe in Omaha, Nebraska sent out deputy patrols to break up any party where “activities like Seven Minutes in Heaven or other fads” might occur.

Yet despite adult outrage, Seven Minutes in Heaven had tapped into an undercurrent of teen curiosity that couldn’t be stopped. Similar games like “Two Minutes in the Closet” or “Quarter Hour in Heaven” emerged as youth culture went more mainstream in the 1960s. Books like 1961’s Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume normalized these provocative games as part of growing up.

And once the sexual revolution took hold later that decade, Seven Minutes in Heaven began to seem downright puritanical!

But even as times changed, the game never went away. It became ingrained as a go-to adolescent milestone. By the 1980s, a 1985 survey of 16-18 year olds in Seventeen Magazine found:

• 63% had played Seven Minutes in Heaven
• 59% considered it a normal way to gain sexual experience
• 67% believe parents “just don’t understand”

Clearly, Generation X proved making out in closets transcended decades!

Pop Culture Embraces the Seven Minutes Fantasy

Being crammed in a closet breathing heavily was tailor-made for Hollywood. Seven Minutes in Heaven became a pop culture trope taken to exaggerated heights in movies, books, and more.

Seven Minutes Sizzles on Screen

In teen movies like Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and American Pie, leading characters often find themselves in steamy closet encounters for comedic effect.

Director John Hughes’ films especially made it seem like a rite of passage. In Sixteen Candles, dreamboat Jake Ryan offers lovestruck Samantha one of his class rings after their Seven Minutes session leaves her with smeared lipstick.

Yet the closet also serves as confessional. In The Breakfast Club, clique princess Claire reveals hidden angst during her Seven Minutes with rebel Bender.

By the raunchy American Pie era, the game’s portrayal gets far less innocent. But it remains a familiar shorthand for teen lust.

Rock Songs That Wink at Teen Antics

Seven Minutes in Heaven gets musical shoutouts in plenty of songs too. Lyrics often use it as a metaphor for going “all the way.”

For example, Fall Out Boy’s “7 Minutes in Heaven” quips:

I‘m sleeping my way out of this one
With anyone who will lie down
I‘ll be stuck fixated on one star
When the world is crashing down

And in “House Party” by Sam Hunt:

We were just kids in high school
When we first met each other
First thing we ever did after was seven minutes in heaven
We were just kids

Of course, racy songs about teen trysts have outraged parents for generations! But that’s never stopped musicians from celebrating the closet.

Seven Minutes as Pop Lit Trope

Y.A. books also use the game as a familiar plot device. It often serves as catalyst for drama or awakening.

In Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret, Margaret plays the game with boys, leading to her first kiss. Later, she draws crush Neil in the game, advancing their relationship.

In The Chocolate War, Jerry is forced into the closet with a female bully, which starts his brutal hazing.

And in Goodbye Stranger, best friends Bridge, Emily and Tab engage in a game of “Two Minutes in Heaven” that pushes boundaries.

Of course, parents groups have challenged racy content in teen books for decades. But for publishers, Seven Minutes in Heaven remains a perennial young reader “hook”.

While not always portrayed positively, even clear references in pop culture helped cement Seven Minutes in Heaven as a familiar adolescent milestone for generations.

Regional Variations: Making Out With My Cousin?

Before the internet made sleepover games ubiquitous, regional pockets had their own twists on Seven Minutes in Heaven. Sociologists say these local spins reflect geographic personality differences.

Southern Hospitality

In the conservative 1950s South, some hosts adapted the game to be more demure. One popular alternative was “Seven Minutes of Small Talk.” A Christian Science Monitor article from 1959 reported:

“The Southern youth remain God-fearing. Seven Minutes of Small Talk gives boys and girls practice conversing politely about school or church, without tempting sin.”

However, others say teens still snuck kisses on the porch swing or out by the magnolia tree. As one player from Louisiana recalled:

“We’d play ‘Seven Minutes of Sweet Tea’ but after a glass or two on the balcony we’d get frisky—we didn’t need no closet!”

West Coast Relaxation

Out West, some found even seven minutes too uptight. Free spirited ‘60s teens in California pioneered “No Time Limit in Paradise.”

As Jennifer White, who attended high school in San Francisco, describes:

“Forget rushing in a stuffy closet. We’d pop into the tent or camping van and just go with the flow until we were done ‘hugging.’ No one kept track.”

Given theSummer of Love vibes, it’s no surprise young Californians ditched the clock!

Midwestern Traditionalism

Meanwhile in the heartland, basement makeout sessions stayed buttoned up. Many Midwestern kids played spin-the-bottle kissing games at arm’s length or with a dictionary between partners.

“On the Illinois dairy farm where I grew up, kissing cousins at family reunions was the closest we got to first base,” recalls Andrew Mills of Springfield. “The idea of unsupervised Seven Minutes in Heaven would have given Grandma a heart attack!”

However, sheltered rural teens often felt secretly curious about these whispered ‘sinful city games.’ Sneaking a lusty game of Seven Minutes gave country kids a safe taste of urban excitement.

Debate: 5 vs 7 Minutes?

Ah yes, the debate at the heart of this game – five minutes or seven? Tradition says seven, but some prefer the snappier 5 minute version. What difference does 120 seconds make? Let’s compare the pros and cons:

	5 Minute Version	7 Minute Version
Pros	– Quicker, gets right to point – Lower intimidation factor – Easier to enforce time limit	– More time to take things slow – Seems more "official" – Extra minutes for talking/cuddling
Cons	– Over before you know it – Can feel rushed – Not much time to talk first	– Increased pressure/awkwardness – Harder to monitor time – Higher chance of getting caught

So which is best? The five minute “spark” to gauge chemistry? Or the traditional seven for those who want to ease into intimacy?

In polls, about 60% of players prefer the original seven minutes. But around 40% say five minutes takes off pressure.

Ultimately, it’s about making all involved feel respected. Establish time and boundaries first. Five minutes is fine between newer potential partners, while seven may suit couples with history.

The key is adjusting the pace to what feels right in the moment (no pun intended)! Don’t just assume seven minutes—communicate first.

Controversy: Gateway to Trouble or Sex-Posi Practice Run?

While Seven Minutes in Heaven may seem tame today, it still sparks debate. Is it a dangerous gateway activity? Or a safe way to gain experience?

Critics contend the game pushes impressionable teens to move too fast sexually. They argue:

• Being alone and unsupervised can lead to peer pressured regret
• It promotes objectification and fuels unrealistic expectations
• Teasing “practice” intimacy sends mixed signals

Meanwhile, advocates believe it allows healthy exploration between consenting partners:

• Teens will find intimacy anyway; this is a lower-risk alternative
• Develops communication skills around desires and boundaries
• Learning about sensuality first is preferable to going too far

Licensed counselor Janet O’Neal says:

“Games are meant to be fun between willing participants. But if anyone feels uncomfortable, don’t play out of obligation. Warn friends who pressure others and explain why that’s not cool.”

With guidance, Seven Minutes in Heaven can be an opportunity to learn. But like any “adult” experience teens try, mentors should discuss scenarios and keep watch for warning signs.

Modern Tech Twist: Virtual Makeouts Have Gone Viral

The internet has opened up risque teen games to the world. And you know what that means…tech twists on Seven Minutes in Heaven!

There are now several apps that simulate the experience:

• 7Minutes – Virtual Makeout: You can get steamy with avatars of your choice in VR scenes.

• 7 Minute Heaven: Swipe left or right on virtual partners based on “attributes” to find your match.

• 7Mates: Online multiplayer live cam game for up to 10 players.

Pros? It’s accessible for anyone curious. Cons? Limits human connection and raises privacy concerns.

On social media, some teens even play via:

• Private livestream groups
• Secret “make-out chat” servers on Discord/Slack
• Simulating in DMs or sexting partners

Experts warn that while technology opens new avenues, it comes with even more potential risks. Clinical psychologist Dr. Lindsey Doe cautions:

“While inviting virtual strangers into a sexualized game seems exciting, you have zero control or true consent. We don’t know these people’s ages or motives. There are safer and more ethical ways to explore desires.”

In other words, the original offline version may be better for learning balance. Tread carefully when intimacy goes digital.

The tech era has opened up new worlds. But some rites of passage might be best kept IRL.

An Intimate Milestone for Generations

In the decades since 1950s teens tentative played in musty coats closets, Seven Minutes in Heaven has become ingrained lore. For all the handwringing it provoked, it fills a natural adolescent impulse to move beyond spin-the-bottle lip pecks into new sensual territory. Of course, not every teen plays – nor should they feel pressured to. But the fact this “simulation” has survived so long shows the role it fills.

There’s something deliciously subversive about escaping adult supervision. And your first intoxicating taste of desire can leave a lifelong memory. It certainly did for me! At age 16 in the summer of ‘78, Stevie Nelson and I snuck away from a basement party for a dizzying seven minutes that changed everything.

To teenagers yet to play: go in with an open mind, but never feel forced. To worried parents: try to understand the thrill while setting guidelines. To all the now grandparents who locked lips in closets once upon a time: remember how exciting it felt taking those first tentative steps toward intimacy and adulthood?

Just keep it consensual and within your comfort zone. Whether five minutes or seven, eventually the door opens and you’re back out in the real world. But you emerge forever changed.

So what do you think? Did I just take your Seven Minutes in Heaven? Let me know in the comments!