Multiple sexual partners a turn off for men and ladies, study finds

A latest study indicates that prime numbers of previous sexual partners are a turn-off for each men and ladies when searching for a spouse.

Over 5,300 people in 11 countries across the globe took part within the research, published in Scientific Reports, which concluded that, from an evolutionary psychology viewpoint, fewer past sexual partners is mostly preferred for a complete host of reasons.

Concerns about sexually transmitted diseases, trustworthiness, and even who the daddy of the kid is or who shall be left ‘holding the newborn’ all come into play, whether consciously or not, when selecting a mate. 

Participants within the study were shown images and profiles of hypothetical mates with details about their past variety of sexual partners and the speed at which they acquired these partners.

The likelihood of a profile being acceptable to the viewer dropped significantly when the variety of partners increased from 4 (the minimum utilized in the study) to 12. This was true of each men and ladies across nearly all countries.

While an increased variety of sexual partners all the time led to less acceptability, the degree to which this occurred did vary by country. Norwegians and Americans, while still preferring fewer past sexual partners, where more willing to tolerate higher figures, while Poles and Chinese were less tolerant.

Generally, men and ladies had the identical responses; nevertheless Chinese men were found to be more willing than Chinese women to simply accept a one who had had 12 or 36 previous partners. This apparent anomaly could also be attributable to “severe male overrepresentation within the Chinese population attributable to the one-child policy and the standard Chinese preference for a son”, in accordance with Sociology Professor Emerita Rosemary Hopcroft of the Institute for Family Studies.

More vital than the raw variety of previous partners was the total picture of a person’s sexual history. There was greater tolerance for potential partners who displayed decreasing sexual intercourse over time, while those with intensifying or fluctuating sexual histories were viewed with greater scepticism.

Writing for the Institute for Family Studies, Professor Hopcroft argued, “If a possible partner has not been sexually promiscuous up to now, it is probably going he or she is going to proceed to behave that way in the long run.”

She added, “However, if that person has each a history of promiscuity and is getting more promiscuous over time, that person is unlikely to be a faithful mate and is prone to produce other traits which can be undesirable.”