The average number of sexual partners
It varies a lot.
There’s no specific number of sexual partners that is universally considered a lot or too many partners.
Psychologists refer to this sexist phenomenon as asexual double standard4.
These perceptions are not based in reality, of course.
Sleeping with a lot of people doesn’t make women any less competent, stable, or confident.
It can be helpful to spend some time reflecting on your feelings about sex and gender more broadly.
What can a person’s numbernottell you?
Anything about thequalityof their character.
There are certainly some promiscuous people out there who aren’t particularly kind toward themselves or others.
The number of partners really doesn’t tell you much.
Should couples tell each other their numbers?
If it’s on your mind, it’s usually a good idea to talk about it.
Keeping secrets from your partner or feeling like you’re avoiding something can createdistance and tensionin the relationship.
All that said, it seems people are pretty weird about talking to their partners about their number.
That’s a lot of absolutes.
In fact, research shows that peopletend to lieabout how many people they’ve had sex with.
Men are more likely to exaggerate and inflate their number, whereas women tend tounderreport it.
Are you upset with your partner for not sharing your values?
Are you simply following along with abstract social norms without really questioning them?
After all,sex in long-term relationshipsis very different from single sex.
The truth is, there is no ideal number of sexual partners.
A number alone can’t tell you which of these people you’re dealing with.
