The number of socially accepted sexual partners shows gender differences.

New research has been published regarding the socially acceptable number of sexual partners.

According to reports on the 9th (local time) from the New York Post and others, a study recently published in the international journal "Social Psychology and Personality Science" reveals that the ideal number of sexual partners for men is 4 to 5 over a lifetime, while for women it is 2 to 3.

This study surveyed over 340 Germans to investigate the social perceptions surrounding the sex lives of 25-year-old young adults. Participants were asked various questions about sexual behaviors, including the number of partners, frequency of sexual activity, and masturbation habits.

In the case of men, it was found that among the ideal number of partners (4 to 5), 2 to 3 were through casual encounters, with the average age for the first sexual experience occurring between 18 and 20. In contrast, women indicated that among their ideal partners (2 to 3), only 1 to 2 were casual encounters, and their first experience occurred at ages 16 to 18, which is slightly earlier than men.

The 'middle' level of sexual experience is evaluated as the most ideal.

The research team analyzed that the criteria for an ideal number of sexual partners are closely related to social evaluation.

Having fewer partners does not attract significant criticism, but as the number of partners increases, the perception from others tends to become more negative. Notably, the research findings indicate that regardless of gender, a moderate level of sexual activity is valued most highly when compared to extremely low or excessively high levels. This suggests that social evaluation standards regarding sexual experience are similarly applied to both men and women.

However, the research team pointed out that there are both similarities and differences in social evaluations of gender and sexuality. While men may receive criticism for having too little sexual experience and feel social pressure regarding their sexual abilities, women tend to receive more negative evaluations when they have a higher number of partners. This highlights the continuing existence of a double standard based on gender.

Meanwhile, according to data released last year by the U.S. demographic analysis firm World Population Review (WPR), Turkey was identified as the country with the highest average number of lifetime sexual partners, at 14.5.

Australia (13.3 partners) and New Zealand (13.2 partners) followed, with Iceland (13.0 partners) and South Africa (12.5 partners) also ranking high.

In Asia, Thailand had the highest number of sexual partners at 10.6, followed by Japan at 10.2. South Korea was reported to have one of the lowest averages globally, at around 2 partners.

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