Episode 409: Does “Body Count” Really Matter?

How many people have you had sex with? In other words, what’s your “body count?” In this episode, we’re going to dive into the data. We’ll discuss the average number of sexual partners people report having, why men consistently report higher body counts than women, as well as why people seem to place so much emphasis on body count in the first place.

I am joined by Ashley Weller. She is a Human Sexuality and Health Psychology Professor at Chapman University in Southern California. She also has a podcast called What’s your Position that tackles issues surrounding sexuality, relationships, life, and love from a comedic yet educational point of view.

Some of the specific topics we explore include:

• Is there a better phrase than “body count” that we can use when referring to the number of partners we’ve had?
• What’s the average body count among adults today, and how has it changed over time?
• How does body count differ across gender?
• What are people really asking when they inquire about body count?
• Does body count actually tell you anything about someone else’s sexual health or competence?

You can follow Ashley and check out What’s your Position here.

Got a sex question? Send me a podcast voicemail to have it answered on a future episode at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology.

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