What is the answer to the eternal question of how many sex partners a person usually has in a lifetime? A study by SuperDrug, involving more than 2,000 people in the United States and Europe, asked about sexual habits and found that the average number of sexual partners in a person’s lifetime is lower than many can imagine.
However, the authors of the study explain that this study should be viewed superficially, as it is not clear what the respondents define as “sexual partners”. However, it’s important to understand that there’s no single exact number of partners for life. It’s a very individual thing that you don’t have to reveal to others unless you want to.
The number of partners is different for each gender
The study found that, on average, a woman has seven sexual partners in her lifetime, while a man has about six. And while some may consider these numbers to be small, they are “ideal” for many in the United States. U.S. respondents rated seven as the “most ideal” number of sexual partners a person can have.
However, research suggests that these figures may be inaccurate. According to the survey, only 67.4% of women and 58.6% of men have told the truth about the number of their sexual partners. In addition, nowhere in the study is it defined what a “sexual partner” is. As no definition is given and most people, especially those of different genders and sexual identities, define the concept of sex differently, this figure may be even more distorted than we think.
An insignificant indicator
People are inherently competitive and want to know if they can keep up with others, so enough people are interested in such research. But it’s important to keep in mind how unimportant this “number of sexual partners” really is. A person’s value does not decrease or increase depending on how many sexual partners they have. As long as you have safe sex, your partner should not care about your sexual past.
The authors of the SuperDrug survey say that “the number of sexual partners” is a very personal matter and everyone can choose whether or not to reveal it to others. However, it is important to remember that the “ideal” number of your current partner’s former partners is as much as they felt comfortable at that point in their lives. One should not be judged higher or lower solely on the basis of how many times and with whom they have had sex.