When it comes to what society seems to suggest: men think about sex a lot. At least that's what advertisers and television plotlines scream at us. According to a new study though, that just might not be the case, at least as not as much as we think.
Ohio State University (OSU) researchers may have debunked the "all men think about is sex" theory after studying nearly 300 college-aged males and females. What they found is that while the male study participants indicated they do think about sex more often than their female counterparts, (19 times per day for males as opposed to 10 times a day for the women) it is a far cry from the often cited (but not evidenced-based) statistic "once every seven seconds."
Related: Top 5 Myths Women (Still) Believe About Men
Lead study author and professsor of psychology at OSU, Terri Fisher, says the research serves to set the record straight. “What we found was so far away from this strongly held stereotype,” she said, citing several non-scientific estimates that would have men pondering sex 8,000 times in their 16 waking hours. “For men to grow up being told that men think about nothing but sex, I think, is discrediting toward men.” The study revealed that thoughts of sex by men only barely beat out their other ponderings, such as food and sleep (I can totally relate.)
Fisher says these findings are up for interpretation, however. "It’s not clear whether they’re just more focused on need-related states than females or whether they simply recall thoughts more often or are more willing to report them,” she explains.
Related: 7 Burning Questions Guys Want to Ask
The research team also discovered that the subjects who reported feeling most comfortable with sexuality were also the participants who had revealed thinking about sex more often. That predictor crossed gender lines, not surprisingly to the team.
Fisher plans on continuing this research and extending it into older adults. This would seem appropriate since women are believed to reach their sexual prime in their 30's. Men, on the other hand, are typically thought to reach their sexual prime during their 20s. The OSU study appears online and in the print version of The Journal of Sex Research.
More From GalTime
7 Amazing Health Benefits of Sex
3 Biggest Mistakes Women Make in Bed
4 Biggest Mistakes Men Make in Bed
Save 40% 
