Who Really Wants Sex More, Men or Women?
Putting an old stereotype to the test
In Case You Missed It…
Few topics in psychology spark as much curiosity, debate, and awkward dinner-table conversation as the question of who wants sex more: men or women. The stereotype is clear: Men have a higher sex drive. But is it actually true?
That’s the question tackled in a massive 2022 meta-analysis by Julius Frankenbach and colleagues in the journal Psychological Bulletin. Drawing on data from several hundred studies, the authors set out to determine not only whether there’s a difference, but how large it is, how reliable the evidence is, and where any difference might come from.
Here are some of the many issues addressed in the paper:
Most of the research on sex drive comes from self-report studies. But how trustworthy are these? Do men exaggerate their sex drives, while women downplay theirs?
Is the literature distorted by publication bias? Are studies that find a sex difference more likely to see the light of day, while null results gather dust in researchers’ file drawers?
If the difference is real, how large is it? Many sex differences widely assumed to be huge turn out to be fairly trivial. Is this the case with sex drive?
Where, if the difference is real, does it come from? Is it a “gift” from evolution, an invention of culture, or a bit of both?
Is the difference found across cultures? Is it smaller in more gender-equal nations? Has it narrowed over time?
And finally, how can the answers to these questions help people navigate their romantic relationships?
If you think psychological research is always low in quality, and that its results are never robust or surprising, this paper might just change your mind. It’s a model of rigor, and it leaves little room for doubt about its conclusions. Let’s take a closer look.