Alexander Sinn
By Stephen Beech
It's down to "when" as well as "how many" when people judge someone's sexual history, according to new research.
The timing of previous "sexploits" matters just as much as the number of notches on the bedpost, say scientists.
The major international study found that people judge a potential long-term partner’s sexual history by when previous encounters took place, not the total number of partners.
The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, show that people were more willing to commit to someone whose encounters had become less frequent over time.
The study, led by Swansea University, is the first time researchers have explored the timing of sexual history alongside quantity – offering a fresh perspective on human mating psychology.
The research team surveyed more than 5,000 participants from 11 countries across five continents.
They found that people were generally less willing to commit to someone with a high number of past sexual partners but were more open if those encounters had become less frequent over time, suggesting a shift away from casual sex.
Daniele La Rosa Messina
Lead researcher Dr. Andrew Thomas, of Swansea University’s School of Psychology, said: “People use sexual history as a cue to assess relationship risk. In our ancestral past, knowing someone’s sexual history could help people avoid risks like STIs, infidelity, emotional instability, or rivalry with ex-partners.
“Previous studies have shown that people are generally less inclined to pursue relationships with individuals who have had many past sexual partners.
"However, what’s particularly interesting about this study’s findings is that this effect diminishes when those encounters occurred primarily in the past, and this is something we found across the globe."
Participants were shown simple visual timelines representing a potential partner’s sexual history.
Each timeline showed the same number of past partners, but with different patterns.
Some concentrated encounters relatively early in life, others spread evenly, and some decreasing over time.
The participants then rated their willingness to pursue a committed relationship, revealing that the timing of past encounters, particularly whether sexual activity with new partners had slowed over time, "significantly" shaped their perceptions.
(Photo by cottonbro studio via Pexels)
The study found little evidence of a sexual "double standard" - with male and female participants evaluating sexual history in similar ways.
Only minor sex differences were observed across countries and cultures.
Dr. Thomas said: “The results of this study point to a lack of sexual double standards, challenging the idea that women are judged more harshly for their sexual past than men.”
The research team also looked at how people’s own attitudes toward casual sex influenced their views.
Those who were more open to casual relationships were less affected by a partner’s sexual history, although they still showed some sensitivity to it.
Dr. Thomas said: “The online discourse around people’s sexual history can be very damning, but the results of this study reveal the picture is far more nuanced.
"We’ve been led to believe that society harshly judges those with a sexually adventurous past, but as individuals, people are in fact far more forgiving, particularly if someone’s approach to sex has changed."
He added: “The results of this study not only shed light on the universal nature of our sexual psychology, but could be used to combat misogynistic discussion of sexual history online.”
