Sex is a pretty taboo subject, especially when it comes to a person's sexual history. I'd like to believe no sober, common sense individual would ever walk up to a complete stranger and say, "Hi, my name is Bob Shitzferbrains. So how many sexual partners have you had?" When a couple of individuals become interested in one another and are curious to move the relationship forward, however, it seems all but inevitable the topic will get broached. While such a conversation can prove to be more awkward than getting caught masturbating by Sister Mary Clarence, as sex, communication, and trust are all key ingredients to a happy and healthy long-term relationship, it may also be vitally important.
So what is the "magic number," so to speak, when it comes to sexual partners? Is there such a thing? Would a number which is too high or too low lead a certain percentage of people to bolt before things got too serious? As is typical, it depends on the person. While some may be incredibly bothered by dating a virgin or dating someone who's been around the block so many times he/she has a Frequent F*ckers card, others won't care one frequent f*cking iota. Having said this, I still find it interesting to look at studies, numbers, and trends so we can learn more about the general opinion regarding the matter.
One fairly recent study conducted by Superdrug in the U.K. surveyed 2,000 people about their sexual histories between 2013 and 2014. Here's what was discovered:
- Men are more likely to report a higher-than-actual total of sexual partners (17.5% of them did this) than women (8.2%).
- On the flip-side, more women reported a lower-than-actual number (18.6%) than men did (13.7%).
- All-in-all, 58.6% and 67.4% of the men and women, respectively, didn't lie about their number of sexual partners.
- When asked how many partners it'd take to label a person as promiscuous, the general consensus was approximately 14.
- At the polar opposite end of the spectrum, a person with only 2 such partners was deemed to be too sexually conservative.
- Coincidentally enough (#Sarcasm), the participants' ideal number of partners and their actual tally of partners lined up rather neatly. Ideally, the respondents suggested 7.5 to be the magic number when it comes to ideal sexual partners. Oddly enough, their actual number of sexual partners were 6.4 and 7 for the men and women in the survey, respectively.
- After finding out about their potential partner's sexual history, 30% said they'd be either very or somewhat likely to leave the relationship if their love interest had too many partners in their eyes. This was slightly outweighed by the somewhat or very unlikely side, as they registered at 37%. The remaining 33% were neutral on the matter.
- When it comes to discovering a love interest has had too few partners, a whopping 70% said they'd be somewhat or very unlikely to leave the relationship, while only 8% said they'd be very or somewhat likely to bounce. The remaining 22% were neutral.
So, generally speaking, people in the U.S. sleep with an average of 7 partners in their lifetimes; men tend to falsely brag about their numbers while women tend to shamefully downplay theirs; between 3 in 5 and 2 in 3 people are fully honest about their sexual pasts; and we seem to be more open and forgiving of those with too little sexual experience than too much.
Sure, I still stand by my often-recited claim that good communication and trust are the two most important factors in establishing a happy and healthy long-term relationship. However, one thing which I think often gets overlooked is the couple's viewpoints on sex and how closely they align with one another's. One thing the survey didn't establish is how protected vs. unprotected sex would alter the participants' opinions when it came to certain inquiries. While some survey takers may have held steadfast on their claim that 14 sexual partners equals promiscuity and there's a 50/50 chance they'd dart from a relationship if their date eclipsed that number, regardless if every such occasion was experienced with protection or not. However, I have a hunch at least a small percentage of the responders would have starkly different numbers in mind for individuals who only engaged in protected sex and those who used protection less often than Bob Ross painted angry trees. Regardless of the number of partners a person has had, though, the question has to be asked, "What does sex truly mean to you?" If one person in a potential couple answers "to get off" while the other responds with "emotional euphoria," call me crazy, but I have a feeling they're going to experience some problems along the way if they decide to continue their relationship. This problem will likely only get exacerbated if the former admits to having engaged in a number of one-night stands and flings, as this will tend to leave the latter feeling a lack of emotion emanating from him/her before, during, and after they partake in the deed.
In summation, there really is no such thing as a magic number. Every person is different, all our stories differ, and how we reached the number and what we've learned from it is of greater importance than the number itself, so long as the number hasn't brought herpes or 19 kids along the way, but I digress...
https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/whats-your-number/?utm_source=affiliatewindow&utm_campaign=Skimlinks&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=30283X879131X823ab646c75a214e4447e00ecbf8f3d0&utm_content=0&awc=2026_1504631652_17154af64531ab1f32c80f1d919685ff
So what is the "magic number," so to speak, when it comes to sexual partners? Is there such a thing? Would a number which is too high or too low lead a certain percentage of people to bolt before things got too serious? As is typical, it depends on the person. While some may be incredibly bothered by dating a virgin or dating someone who's been around the block so many times he/she has a Frequent F*ckers card, others won't care one frequent f*cking iota. Having said this, I still find it interesting to look at studies, numbers, and trends so we can learn more about the general opinion regarding the matter.
One fairly recent study conducted by Superdrug in the U.K. surveyed 2,000 people about their sexual histories between 2013 and 2014. Here's what was discovered:
- Men are more likely to report a higher-than-actual total of sexual partners (17.5% of them did this) than women (8.2%).
- On the flip-side, more women reported a lower-than-actual number (18.6%) than men did (13.7%).
- All-in-all, 58.6% and 67.4% of the men and women, respectively, didn't lie about their number of sexual partners.
- When asked how many partners it'd take to label a person as promiscuous, the general consensus was approximately 14.
- At the polar opposite end of the spectrum, a person with only 2 such partners was deemed to be too sexually conservative.
- Coincidentally enough (#Sarcasm), the participants' ideal number of partners and their actual tally of partners lined up rather neatly. Ideally, the respondents suggested 7.5 to be the magic number when it comes to ideal sexual partners. Oddly enough, their actual number of sexual partners were 6.4 and 7 for the men and women in the survey, respectively.
- After finding out about their potential partner's sexual history, 30% said they'd be either very or somewhat likely to leave the relationship if their love interest had too many partners in their eyes. This was slightly outweighed by the somewhat or very unlikely side, as they registered at 37%. The remaining 33% were neutral on the matter.
- When it comes to discovering a love interest has had too few partners, a whopping 70% said they'd be somewhat or very unlikely to leave the relationship, while only 8% said they'd be very or somewhat likely to bounce. The remaining 22% were neutral.
So, generally speaking, people in the U.S. sleep with an average of 7 partners in their lifetimes; men tend to falsely brag about their numbers while women tend to shamefully downplay theirs; between 3 in 5 and 2 in 3 people are fully honest about their sexual pasts; and we seem to be more open and forgiving of those with too little sexual experience than too much.
Sure, I still stand by my often-recited claim that good communication and trust are the two most important factors in establishing a happy and healthy long-term relationship. However, one thing which I think often gets overlooked is the couple's viewpoints on sex and how closely they align with one another's. One thing the survey didn't establish is how protected vs. unprotected sex would alter the participants' opinions when it came to certain inquiries. While some survey takers may have held steadfast on their claim that 14 sexual partners equals promiscuity and there's a 50/50 chance they'd dart from a relationship if their date eclipsed that number, regardless if every such occasion was experienced with protection or not. However, I have a hunch at least a small percentage of the responders would have starkly different numbers in mind for individuals who only engaged in protected sex and those who used protection less often than Bob Ross painted angry trees. Regardless of the number of partners a person has had, though, the question has to be asked, "What does sex truly mean to you?" If one person in a potential couple answers "to get off" while the other responds with "emotional euphoria," call me crazy, but I have a feeling they're going to experience some problems along the way if they decide to continue their relationship. This problem will likely only get exacerbated if the former admits to having engaged in a number of one-night stands and flings, as this will tend to leave the latter feeling a lack of emotion emanating from him/her before, during, and after they partake in the deed.
In summation, there really is no such thing as a magic number. Every person is different, all our stories differ, and how we reached the number and what we've learned from it is of greater importance than the number itself, so long as the number hasn't brought herpes or 19 kids along the way, but I digress...
https://onlinedoctor.superdrug.com/whats-your-number/?utm_source=affiliatewindow&utm_campaign=Skimlinks&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_term=30283X879131X823ab646c75a214e4447e00ecbf8f3d0&utm_content=0&awc=2026_1504631652_17154af64531ab1f32c80f1d919685ff
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