The investigation was led by Dr. David Buss and Cindy Meston, psychologists, in two phases. They first interrogated 444
men and
women 17-52 years old about why they have sex, then asked about 1500 others about their experiences with sex. The process took five years.
The main reasonsAccording to the results obtained,
women and
men would have a similar approach to why they make love. Among the top 25 of
women and
men, 20 answers match perfectly.
The main reasons given by respondents are the attraction to a person, and the feeling of pleasure felt. Then come to show a person that we love him, and to show him affection.
More amazing answers, like "to pass the time", "to get closer to God" are on the list, just like "to get a promotion at work".
Men more opportunistic about sexAccording to the authors of the study, the data collected reject many stereotypes, especially on the differences between
men and
women. Many snapshots could have suggested that
women would be more attached to sentimental reasons of
make love, while the
men allegedly invoked purely physical reasons. However, their answers were similar, mixing both aspects. The most notable difference between the two sexes, according to this study, is that
men are much more "opportunistic" about sex, and never want to miss a single opportunity. The
women showed a more thoughtful attitude, and a greater willingness to "please".
The responses obtained were classified into four categories: physical ("to reduce stress", "because the person in question was dancing well"), practical ("to have a baby", "to be popular"), emotional (" to show a person that we love him "," to get closer to a person "), and selfish (" to keep a person "," to feel loved ").
The study was published in the August issue of the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
237 Reasons Humans Have Sex (May 2024)