Scientists at the University of Saarland have calculated how much more men’s sexual desire is than women’s, based on more than 200 international studies, according to their own statement.
Malte Friese, Saarbrücken social psychologist and co-author of the study, explained Monday that the common assumption that men are more sexually motivated than women has actually been scientifically proven. “The difference is slightly less than half the gender difference in height.”
A total of 620,000 participants’ statements were evaluated
For the study, published in the US journal Psychological Bulletin, researchers defined what sexual motivation is from a psychological perspective and applied it to studies with a total of more than 620,000 participants. The researchers also took into account that, according to their own statements, some self-statements about sex life may not always be true, meaning that people brag about the number of sexual partners.
Friese explained the procedure: “We defined the concept of sexual motivation as how often someone experiences sexual feelings, thoughts, and behaviors—people with strong sexual motivation think more about sex, feel sexual desire more often, and masturbate more.”
Many women have more desires than men
However, it should not be assumed that it is more common in men. “Although men are on average more sexually motivated than women, there are still many women who are more interested in sex than many men.” Based on the data, scientists estimate that about a quarter of women — 24 to 29 percent — have a greater desire for sex than the average man.
Previous studies had already confirmed that men have a higher sexual motivation. According to the information obtained, the size of the difference has not been clarified so far. How to explain the difference between the sexes is not the subject of the study and leaves room for interpretation.
Friese explained that the researchers hypothesized that both social and genetic factors play a role. The study also makes no explanation as to whether less or more sexual motivation is desirable. (AFP)