Researchers at Swansea University have found something very cool. They showed a sophisticated perspective on how people judge prospective mates based on their sexual past. The study is being conducted by Principal Investigator Dr. Andrew G. Thomas of the School of Psychology. It highlights how the timing of previous encounters may be more important than the quantity of partners you’ve had in the past. Published in Scientific Reports, this pioneering research contributes significant breadth to already scintillating conversations about the science of human mating psychology.
In their forthcoming research, which is a collaborative effort between Dr. Thomas and his colleagues, they looked at data from 11 countries on five continents. This research looked specifically at timing and quantity of sexual encounters as factors influencing dynamics of relationships. It discovered that individuals are more likely to enter into agreements with others whose extramarital sexual behavior declines with age. This new angle is shaking up old ideas around sexual history and relationship patterns.
Key Findings on Relationship Risk
In her discussion, Dr. Thomas addressed that people relied on sexual history as a cue to determine risk in a relationship. Most importantly, he stressed knowing the history of your partner. Understanding these issues will allow you to avoid common traps such as STIs, cheating, jealousy, and competition with ex-spouses.
“People use sexual history as a cue to assess relationship risk. In our ancestral past, knowing someone’s sexual history could help people avoid risks like STIs, infidelity, emotional instability, or rivalry with ex-partners.” – Dr. Andrew G. Thomas
Additionally, past research has found that discussions online typically favor a shameful representation of sexual history. People are much more forgiving when they know how long ago those previous meetings were. Dr. Thomas stated, “The online discourse around people’s sexual history can be very damning, but the results of this study reveal the picture is far more nuanced.”
Challenging Societal Norms
Dr. Thomas’s findings provide a significant challenge to the prevailing belief that society harshly judges individuals based on their sexual pasts. His research indicates that instead of WYSIWYG, people tend to judge their wooable counterparts on a more overall basis than live up to rigid social expectations.
“The results of this study not only shed light on the universal nature of our sexual psychology but could be used to combat misogynistic discussion of sexual history online.” – Dr. Thomas
The study showed that no sexual double standards exist when one judges a sexual history. It implies that men and women are judged equally in terms of their history with other people.
Implications for Future Research
This study is the first of its kind to examine timing of sexual history in addition to quantity. This presents exciting new opportunities for research in human mating psychology. It tells a larger story about how social stigma shapes the way we’re all able to love one another.
The DOI of the original study is 10.1038/s41598-025-12607-1 and was originally published on Phys.org on August 4, 2025.