A new study revealed the socially acceptable number of sexual partners for each gender — and it might surprise you. According to the study, featured in “Social Psychological and Personality Science,” the magic number for guys is 4-5 lifetime partners — with 2-3 of them being casual hookups. The study also revealed that a first roll in the hay for men often happens between the ages of 18 and 20. For women, the magic number shrinks to 2-3 partners — with only 1-2 casual flings. Their first romp often happens between 16 and 18, originally reported by Vice. The reason why these numbers are described as “ideal” is what you’d probably expect — there is less judgment from society if someone — man or woman — has a low body count. The higher the number — the more judgy Karens.
These numbers discovered by the study are fairly low considering the average American has slept with 14 people according to a poll conducted by Talker Research for LELO. “There are both similarities and differences in the societal evaluation of male and female sexuality,” the researchers of the ideal body count numbers wrote. “However, contrary to common assumptions, moderate rather than extremely low or extremely high levels of sexual activity are most valued for both genders.”
For the study, researchers surveyed over 340 participants in Germany to determine how society views a 25-year-old’s sexual activity, including the number of partners, frequency of sex and even masturbation habits.It also pointed out how men often get dinged for not racking up enough notches on the bedpost, keeping the pressure to perform alive and well.
Meanwhile, ladies still catch flak for having “too many” partners, proving those tired double standards are far from dead. As discovered in another survey conducted last fall, one in four Americans in relationships keep their body count a steamy secret.
The survey of 2,000 sexually active adults found that 26% haven’t come clean about their number of past partners, with 16% admitting they lowballed the figure when asked. Why the fibbing? 60% said their partner simply never asked, while one in nine suspects their significant other might be lying about their own tally. And while 83% of singles claim they’d spill the beans, only 62% want to hear their partner’s truth.
