# News flash: Men lie about number of sex partners **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 17, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997 "2006-02-17T20:46:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/21 "2006-02-18T07:26:26Z")
Isn’t the conventional wisdom on this that for whatever a guy says you divide by three and for whatever a woman says, you multiply by three? That sounds about right to me. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/22 "2006-02-18T07:29:55Z")
I also wonder if men and women tend to count scores differently. For instance, a guy would probably count a handjob in an apartment bulding parking lot as a score while a woman would probably count it as making out or fooling around but not score the guy as a sexual partner. ---
**Author:** ![mrald](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@mrald](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrald)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/23 "2006-02-18T07:31:07Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > That’s not at all surprising. I always ask guys I have sex with their sexual history, and I would estimate that well over 800 of them lied about their number of partners. And that was just in the last two years- who knows how many have lied in all. you had sex with more than 800? :eek: I can’t decide if you are my hero or frightining ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/24 "2006-02-18T08:48:28Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > An “O RLY?”, obviously. It’s best if [delivered by an owl](http://rly.ytmnd.com/). The natural confirmation is “YA RLY,” occasionally followed by a shocked “NO WAI!!!” I am so not teh hip. I have shamed myself and hijacked a thread. I will bring honour to my family name by having sex with 5000 more ladies tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/25 "2006-02-18T09:03:27Z")
I admit I haven’t had a ton of sexual partners. But I’m constantly making love to my wife, _Morgan Fairchild_. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/26 "2006-02-18T11:01:33Z")
> [@mrald](#): > > you had sex with more than 800? :eek: > > I can’t decide if you are my hero or frightining Heh. Pretty sure you’ve been whooshed there. ---
**Author:** ![indecisive1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/41988e/32.png) [@indecisive1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indecisive1)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/27 "2006-02-18T12:16:30Z")
> [@E. Thorp](#): > > Or that a guy who’s had zero would inflate his partner? ::snerk:: ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/28 "2006-02-18T13:57:51Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > I also wonder if men and women tend to count scores differently. For instance, a guy would probably count a handjob in an apartment bulding parking lot as a score while a woman would probably count it as making out or fooling around but not score the guy as a sexual partner. Maybe, maybe not - depends who he’s talking to and what the purpose of the discussion is. I once had this discussion with a grad school buddy, and he said he wasn’t sure of his answer. I asked him why not, and he said he wasn’t sure whether to count a particular person. “What aren’t you sure about,” I asked, “whether it was a woman, or whether it was a sex partner?” He said she was a hooker in Amsterdam, so he wasn’t sure whether she should be in the same category as, say, his ex-wife. The ability of the human mind to compartmentalize never ceases to amaze me. ---
**Author:** ![catsix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@catsix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/catsix)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/29 "2006-02-18T14:05:49Z")
> [@](#): > > **Sampiro** said: > That’s not at all surprising. I always ask guys I have sex with their sexual history, and I would estimate that well over 800 of them lied about their number of partners. And that was just in the last two years- who knows how many have lied in all. 800 guys in the last 730 days? That’s quite the schedule. ---
**Author:** ![caveat\_lector](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed655f/32.png) [@caveat\_lector](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveat_lector)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/30 "2006-02-18T14:08:43Z")
:dubious: Do identical twins count as one or two? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/31 "2006-02-18T16:49:28Z")
> [@mrald](#): > > you had sex with more than 800? :eek: > > I can’t decide if you are my hero or frightining He’s practically a virgin, compared to me. I can’t even estimate to the nearest 500. Of course, I’ve been around (and around and around…) a lot longer. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/32 "2006-02-18T16:50:45Z")
> [@TellMeI'mNotCrazy](#): > > Heh. Pretty sure you’ve been whooshed there. Don’t bet on it. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/33 "2006-02-18T18:20:59Z")
> [@caveat\_lector](#): > > :dubious: > > Do identical twins count as one or two? You kidding? Identical twins count as six. You deserve to impress people. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/34 "2006-02-18T18:23:31Z")
> [@caveat\_lector](#): > > :dubious: > > Do identical twins count as one or two? How about conjoined twins? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/35 "2006-02-18T18:42:48Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > How about conjoined twins? Bwhaahaa… you sir are sick, but in a delightfully irresistable fashion! It strikes me that the “adjustment” might possibly change over time. When young and relatively inexperienced, guys may around other guys tend to inflate the total. However, when older, they may be inclined to taper that figure down a hair. It’s almost as if there’s some magical halfway point they’re always striving for. Perhaps it’s in the vicinity of 42. ---
**Author:** ![Ensign\_Edison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ab992/32.png) [@Ensign\_Edison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ensign_Edison)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/36 "2006-02-18T18:55:39Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > In (sort of) defense of the 10% that know the answer isn’t accurate…I would be one of those. Not because I would lie about the number of guys I’ve been with but simply because I honestly don’t know the exact number. > > Russell I’m in this boat too, but only because I’m really bad at math. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/37 "2006-02-18T19:31:06Z")
> [@Antinor01](#): > > In (sort of) defense of the 10% that know the answer isn’t accurate…I would be one of those. Not because I would lie about the number of guys I’ve been with but simply because I honestly don’t know the exact number. > > Russell Yeah, me too. in order for my **number** to be given accurately, it must be noted that there is a 25% margin of error. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/38 "2006-02-18T20:06:22Z")
> [@Speaker for the Dead](#): > > An “O RLY?”, obviously. It’s best if [delivered by an owl](http://rly.ytmnd.com/). The natural confirmation is “YA RLY,” occasionally followed by a shocked “NO WAI!!!” You’ll appreciate this: [http://www.supload.com/files/default/1129684511147.gif](http://www.supload.com/files/default/1129684511147.gif) loller ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/39 "2006-02-18T20:57:19Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I’m more interested in the 10 percent who gave an answer they knew wasn’t accurate, but didn’t think that was lying… Alcohol? ---
**Author:** ![FlippyFly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FlippyFly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlippyFly)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2006, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997/40 "2006-02-18T21:09:56Z")
I have a friend who’s big “does it count” debate involves a girl he, well, to be blunt, inserted into for one stroke, then decided it was a mistake, and pulled right out… Oh and it was his first time - so did he lose his virginity to the girl? Does one stroke a sexual partner make? I say it counts, but he swears it doesn’t. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/news-flash-men-lie-about-number-of-sex-partners/344997.md?page=3)