Here’s Why We’re Having Way More Sex Now Than People Did In The Eighties
Turns out that we’re getting laid a LOT more these days…
Naturally, a lot of things have changed since the ’80s, considering how much time has passed since. For example, we frown upon the once celebrated mullet, Madonna is now old and kind of weird, and working out is so much more than doing deep knee bends to VHS aerobics tapes.
And alongside everything else, our attitudes towards sex also changed in the last 30-something years, because change in that realm is inevitable. In fact, OkCupid recently released some valuable info on how insanely different our attitudes on sex are now compared to 10 years ago, so when you think of it that way, it’s safe to say that sex definitely changed since the ’80s.
To see just how much sex changed since the 1980s, data from the General Social Survey was reviewed, numbers were crunched, and handy graphs were made so that we can easily see how our sex lives compare to the wild days of the decade that saw the birth of MTV, hip-hop, hair metal and parachute pants…not to mention Phoebe Cates in Fast Times at Ridgemont High.
Simply put, the data analysis proved that we’re now having a lot more sex, with a lot more people, than our homies were back in the day, which is cool, I guess.
But a brief overview isn’t enough. Let’s dive deep into some details, shall we?
First off, let’s check out the graph above and acknowledge the fact that we’re having sex with way more people than 80’s-folk were. The graph shows that in 1988-1989, the average number of sexual partners was 7. In 2010-2012, that number jumped up to over 11, which is over a 57 percent increase, folks. Well done, everyone. Nice work.
Furthermore, back in the 80s, only 26.7 percent of people reported having casual sex, relative to 37.9 percent in 2010–2012. And just imagine how much higher that number is today, thanks to dating apps like Tinder and Bumble, which make it oh so easy to hook up with tons of random people. We’re evolving, my friends. Three cheers for technology, right?
The reviews also found that there was a statistically significant increase in the number of people having sex with acquaintances, which increased from 32.1 percent to 41.2 percent. So, we’re having more and more sex with people we hardly know. Cool.
For all of the findings, see the entire infographic below:
H/T: Lehmiller