A research study has found that there’s a simple way to tell if someone has had multiple sexual partners.
How many people someone has slept with is usually personal information that most people prefer to keep private.
But according to a new study from Washington State University, there’s a surprisingly simple way to guess if someone has a high number of sexual partners, and it all comes down to upper body strength.
Lead researchers Caroline Smith and Ed Hagen examined data from 4,300 US participants and discovered that people, regardless of gender, who have greater upper body strength tend to have more sex with different people.
“We found a main effect of strength on mating success proxied by lifetime number of sexual partners and current partnered status, but not past-year number of sexual partners or age at first intercourse,” the study abstract read.
In other words, if your significant other can do push-ups without breaking a sweat, they might have a higher “body count” than you think.
The researchers noted this could tie back to evolutionary biology, as historically, physically strong partners would have been seen as desirable during times when hunting for food was necessary for survival.
However, they also noted that the findings won’t apply to everyone. Some gymgoers may be too focused on chasing personal records to make time for dating, while others with more free time might meet more people without ever setting foot in a gym.
The study adds to previous research examining what the “ideal” number of lifetime sexual partners is for individuals.
According to Social Psychological and Personality Science, the magic number is four to five partners for men and two to three for women.
Meanwhile, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the average woman has 4.3 sexual partners throughout her life, while the average man has 6.3.
But despite the numbers, the idea of an “ideal” body count is subjective and changes from person to person. No research paper or society should dictate how many people someone chooses to sleep with.
Despite the perception of a hyper-sexual culture, the average American has reportedly only slept with 14 people, according to a poll conducted by Talker Research for LELO.
In addition to this, Americans aren’t having as much sex as they might think. Mattress company NapLab shared that the average citizen is only having sex once a week.
In states like New York and New Jersey, those numbers are even lower, with New Yorkers reportedly having sex 1.39 times per week and New Jersey residents just 1.21 times weekly.
So, while hitting the gym might improve your strength - and possibly your sex life - these findings suggest that most Americans aren’t having nearly as much sex as expected.