Research Suggests Many Sexual Stereotypes Are Nothing More Than Myth

The Journal LiveScience has undertaken a review of existing psychology papers documenting research in the field of human sexuality, and has found some apparent differences between what many people believe, and what is in fact true. The journal has posted its results, and some of them are might surprise some people.

The first so-called truth is that men think about sex virtually all the time, or at least a lot more than women do. Some people go so far as to cite some unnamed study that showed that men think about sex every seven seconds. Unfortunately, the seven second study is a myth, though that doesn't mean men aren't heavily focused on sex. The actual facts indicate that men do indeed think about sex more often than women, but they also think about eating, sleeping and going to bathroom more often than women as well, which suggests that men may be more focused on internal bodily functions than women are, not just on sex.

Another stereotype that the researchers found is the idea that men want more sexual partners than do women. Not true they say, in fact, they found that both genders for the most part give the same answer when asked: one. Thus the idea that what men really want is a harem, is completely at odds with what they really want, and for the most part, that is the woman they are with.

Another common belief is that men are all about how a woman looks, while women are all about getting a high-status type mate. Completely false, according to the many studies that have been done on the subject. In fact, most studies show that for people that are dating, the most important characteristics between the genders don't vary much at all. The real answer is that everyone, regardless of gender, pretty much wants someone that they connect with, like and feel attracted to, regardless of how pretty or handsome they might be.

Another myth the team has debunked is the idea that men have more satisfying sex lives because they tend to experience orgasm at the end of most encounters, while many women do not. The team found that the research shows that for those engaging in one night stands, or other less than intimate type sexual encounters, the myth appears to hold up. But when applied to couples, the whole thing falls apart despite the fact that women still don't have an orgasm as often as their male partners, because it appears, that the intimacy of the relationship is more important to them.

Another myth the team disproves is the notion that men like casual sex more than women. Study after study has shown that it's not the casual sex part that holds women back, it's the part about being confronted with so many unwanted offers. They also found that the idea that women are pickier about who they have sex with is rather a myth as well.