How many sexual partners anyone has had has for years been seen as a litmus test for compatibility, trustworthiness, and long-term potential. But a new study is challenging that assumption and shifting the spotlight from tally to timing.

Researchers at Swansea University have discovered that it’s not how many partners you’ve had that matters most, but when those encounters occurred. According to the study, individuals with a high number of past partners are viewed more favourably if those experiences happened further in the past. In contrast, someone with the same number of recent encounters may be seen as less desirable for a committed relationship.

Dr. Andrew G. Thomas, lead author of the study, explains: “Previous research has shown that people are generally less inclined to pursue relationships with individuals who have had many past sexual partners. However, what’s particularly interesting about this study’s findings is that this effect diminishes when those encounters occurred primarily in the past—and this is something we found across the globe.”

The findings add a new layer to the ongoing conversation about sexual history and its impact on romantic relationships. While earlier studies, such as one from 2017, linked a high number of previous partners—especially among women—to increased likelihood of divorce, this new research suggests that timing may play a more crucial role than previously thought.

In other words, your past doesn’t just matter—it matters when it happened.

“A prospective partner’s sexual history provides important information that can be used to minimise mating-related risks,” the researchers explained in their study, published in Scientific Reports.

“Such information includes the number of past sexual partners, which has an inverse relationship with positive suitor evaluation. However, sexual encounters with new partners vary in frequency over time, providing an additional dimension of context not previously considered.”

To get to the bottom of it, the researchers enlisted 5,000 participants from 11 countries. The participants were shown simple visual timelines representing a potential partner’s sexual history.

Each timeline showed the number of past partners, as well as when each encounter took place.

After viewing each timeline, the participants were asked to rate their willingness to pursue a committed relationship, and whether the timing of past encounters swayed their decision.

The results revealed that people were generally less willing to commit to someone with a high number of sexual partners. However, they were more open if those encounters had become less frequent over time.

Somewhat surprisingly, the researchers found little evidence of a sexual double standard. In fact, both male and female participants were found to evaluate sexual history in similar ways.

“The results of this study point to a lack of sexual double standards, challenging the idea that women are judged more harshly for their sexual past than men,”  Thomas said.

Overall, the results show that the impact of sexual history is far more naunced than we thought, according to the researchers.

“The online discourse around people’s sexual history can be very damning, but the results of this study reveal the picture is far more nuanced,” Thomas added.

“We’ve been led to believe that society harshly judges those with a sexually adventurous past, but as individuals, people are in fact far more forgiving, particularly if someone’s approach to sex has changed.

“The results of this study not only shed light on the universal nature of our sexual psychology but could be used to combat misogynistic discussion of sexual history online.”