It turns out that having sex on the brain has more to do with feeling good about sex than with your gender.
Guys’ thoughts drift to sex about once per hour, the study of 283 students found. It’s a far cry from thinking about sex every seven seconds – that’s just an urban myth, say the psychology researchers from Ohio State University.
Stereotype
In the study, male and female students were separated into three groups and asked to keep track of each time they thought they had about sex, food or sleep, by clicking on a counter. Before the experiment, they were also asked to estimate how often they’d think about these basic bodily needs.
When it came to guessing how often thoughts of bodily needs would pop up, guy and girl estimates were the same for food and sleep. The only difference between genders had to do with estimates on sexual thoughts – guys figured they’d think more about sex than girls did.
So even though guys reported more sexual thoughts, they were probably influenced by the stereotype that guys think more about sex than girls, the researchers say.
Erotophilia
Whether you have sex on the brain doesn’t depend on whether you’re a guy or a girl, the study found, but on what scientists call erotophilia.
If you’re an erotophile, you feel positive about sex. It doesn’t make you feel guilty, and you’re happy to talk about it openly. And quite simply, that means you’ll think about sex more often, whether you’re a guy or a girl.
“Those cartoon drawings that suggest that men’s minds are filled with nothing but thoughts of sex need to be revised,” the researchers conclude. They’re more likely to be daydreaming about a slap-up meal and an afternoon snooze.
What do you spend more time thinking about - food, sleep or sex?