How Casual Sex Affects The Rest of Your Life

Quick Overview

Individuals who engage in frequent casual sex and accumulate a higher body count are statistically less likely to succeed in long-term monogamous relationships, showing higher rates of divorce and infidelity, with infidelity rates for those with a body count above five being double that of those below five.

Key Points: People with a higher body count are less likely to succeed in long-term monogamous pair bonds across every outcome measure, including being more likely to get divorced and less likely to be satisfied. Data analysis showed that the infidelity rate for individuals with a body count above five was double that of those with a body count below five, with this effect holding true for both men and women. Past behavior serves as a strong predictor of future behavior; someone who repeatedly enjoys casual sex signals they are more likely to continue this pattern than someone who has avoided it. The single biggest predictor of extramarital sex, according to David Buss's older work, is premarital sex, although current data suggests relationship dissatisfaction is a more immediate predictor. Context matters significantly regarding body count; a body count of five might be a green flag for a 30-year-old with five long-term relationships, but "insanely high" for a 19-year-old. The negative outcomes associated with high body count may be maintained because high counts are a proxy for socioexuality, and people reach a high count through many different underlying motivations (e.g., social approval, difficulty with commitment). Recent research indicates that partners are sensitive to the recency and context of past sexual partners, differentiating between a high count accumulated entirely in college versus one accumulated recently while in relationships.

Context: The discussion analyzes the intuitive yet controversial link between an individual's historical body count—the number of sexual partners—and their subsequent success in achieving long-term, monogamous relationships. The speakers explore statistical findings, noting that these effects show no significant sex difference, and debate the underlying causality, contrasting behavioral habit formation with potential underlying psychological drivers like socioexuality or difficulty with commitment.