Are you a bold and vivacious lover or timid and toned down? Find out now as Dr Kirsten Mark’s new research on sexual adventurousness reveals all.

Are you looking to spice up your love life, become more sexually adventurous and increase your own or your partners sexual and relationship satisfaction? The facts we’re about to share are the perfect conversation starter to help you and your lover open up about your most secret sexual fantasies and reignite that spark.

Sex and Relationship researcher, Dr Kirsten Mark, has conducted a study to find out just how sexually adventurous the average person is willing to be. She looked at which behaviours people already engage in and which they would be willing to try, as well as how these behaviours differ between the sexes. She has also uncovered some interesting stats regarding how sexual adventurousness impacts relationship satisfaction. Let’s take a look at what she found.

The Most Common Sexual Behaviour

Dr Mark’s study revealed that the following were the most commonly reported sexual behaviours for men and women.

Most commonly reported sexual behaviors for women:

• Sex with the lights on – 92%
• Wearing sexy lingerie – 89%
• Having sex at home but outside the bedroom (e.g., kitchen, bathroom) – 85%
• Using lubricants during sex – 78%

Most commonly reported sexual behaviors for men:

• Sex with the lights on – 90%
• Having sex at home but outside the bedroom (e.g., kitchen, bathroom) – 83%
• Using lubricants during sex – 82%
• Talking dirty during foreplay or sex – 63%

Dr Mark says: “Stereotypically taboo behaviors were fairly common in our sample. For example, 43% of our participants had engaged in receptive or penetrative anal sex. In the current sample, 61% had engaged in sex with their partner with the chance of being overhead and over half of the sample (57%) had engaged in exhibitionist-like behavior with their partner such as masturbating for their viewing pleasure.”

The Least Common Sexual Behaviour

Dr Mark’s study revealed that the following were the least commonly reported sexual behaviours for men and women.

Least commonly reported sexual behaviors for women:

• Having sex with others in the context of the relationship (e.g., threesome) – 10%
• Exploration of a fetish – 12%
• Reading erotica together – 18%
• Making a sex tape with partner – 21%

Least commonly reported sexual behaviors for men:

• Having sex with others in the context of the relationship (e.g., threesome) – 6%
• Exploration of a fetish – 11%
• Engaging in roleplay with partner – 17%
• Reading erotica together – 20%

Sexual Behaviours Most Recently Engaged In

Dr Mark’s study also looked at the number of men and women who have engaged in one of 22 sexual behaviors with their current or most recent partner. The findings revealed the following:

	Men n (%)	Women n (%)	Total
Talked dirty during foreplay/sex	1094 (63.2)	1042 (76.1)	68.9%
Shared fantasies verbally	874 (50.5)	875 (63.9)	56.4%
Read erotica together	342 (19.8)	244 (17.8)	18.9%
Watched porn together	840 (48.5)	697 (50.9)	49.6%
Kept the lights on during sex	1556 (89.9)	1262 (92.2)	90.9%
Incorporated a sex toy (such as a vibrator) into partnered sex	1077 (62.2)	823 (60.1)	61.3%
Used lubricants during partnered sex	1418 (81.9)	1066 (77.9)	80.1%
Used intimacy enhancers (e.g., arousal gel or cream) during partnered sex	559 (32.3)	414 (30.2)	31.4%
Exhibitionist sexual behavior with a partner (e.g., masturbated for partner)	848 (49.0)	909 (66.4)	56.7%
Voyeuristic sexual behavior with a partner (e.g., watching partner masturbate)	1071 (61.9)	871 (63.6)	62.6%
Had sex in your home but outside the bedroom (e.g., in the kitchen or bathroom)	1431 (82.7)	1166 (85.2)	83.8%
Had sex with a chance of being seen/overheard (e.g., in a friend’s home)	947 (54.7)	934 (68.2)	60.7%
Stripped for your partner	579 (33.4)	610 (44.6)	38.4%
Wore sexy lingerie or underwear	768 (44.4)	1224 (89.4)	64.3%
Penetrative or receptive anal sex	664 (38.4)	670 (48.9)	43.0%
Light kinky behavior with partner (e.g., handcuffing your partner)	701 (40.5)	726 (53.0)	46.0%
Had sex with more than just the two of you in context of relationship (e.g., threesome)	111 (6.4)	131 (9.6)	7.8%
Made a sex tape with your partner	362 (20.9)	291 (21.3)	21.1%
Used technology to have long-distance sex (e.g., sexting/phone sex/skype sex	641 (37.0)	763 (55.7)	45.3%
Role playing (e.g., acting out a scenario, used props/costumes)	286 (16.5)	314 (22.9)	19.4%
Spanking during sex	759 (43.8)	927 (67.7)	54.4%
Explored a fetish (e.g., foot fetish, rubber fetish)	193 (11.1)	161 (11.8)	11.4%

 

What Are The Most Common Fetishes?

According to Dr Mark’s study the most common fetishes are:

1. BDSM
2. Bondage
3. Feet
4. Play
5. Rubber sex
6. Toes
7. Partner
8. Nipple
9. Latex Leather
10. Dressing
11. Pulling
12. Ass
13. Biting
14. Cross Dressing
15. Boots
16. Pantyhose
17. Oral
18. Nylons
19. Golden Showers
20. Face sitting
21. Foods
22. Pee
23. Relationships

Are Women More Sexually Adventurous than Men?

The study also examined how sexual adventurousness differed between the sexes.

Dr Mark says; “There were not any vast differences in terms of what men and women had engaged in with their current/most recent partner however, some significant differences did emerge and women were significantly more experienced than men when it came to the adventurous sexual behaviors we asked about.”

Her findings showed that women were significantly more likely to engage in the following behaviours, than men where:

• Talking dirty during foreplay/sex.
• Sharing fantasies verbally.
• Keeping the lights on during sex.
• Exhibitionist sexual behaviour for partner (masturbating).
• Having sex where they could be seen or overheard.
• Stripped for their partner.
• Wearing sexy getup.
• Light kinky behaviour.
• Having sex with more people than just their partner (threesome).
• Using technology for long distance sex.
• Spanking during sex.

Her findings showed that men were significantly more likely to engage in the following behaviours, than women where:

• Using lubricants with a partner during sex.

How Does Being Sexually Adventurous Link to Relationship Satisfaction?

Dr Mark says; “Sexual adventurousness was significantly related to relationship length, such that the longer the duration of the relationship, the greater the number of sexual activities engaged in. This intuitive finding could be due to the longer period of time that longer term relationships allow for certain sexual activities to take place, or it could be due to the increased comfort level that can be found in longer-term relationships that lend themselves to exploring more sexually adventurous activities.”

Of the individuals who took part in the study:

• 3% of the respondents indicated they were “very happy”, “extremely happy”, or thought their relationship was “perfect”.
• 20.5% of the respondents indicated they were “happy” in their relationship.
• 31.9% of the respondents indicated they were “a little unhappy”, “fairly unhappy”, or “extremely unhappy” with their current relationship.
• Men and women significantly differed in their reported levels of relationship satisfaction.
• Women were significantly happier with the relationship than men.

“In the current sample, the greater number of sexually adventurous activities an individual engaged in with their current/most recent partner, the greater their level of relationship satisfaction. Previous research indicates that sexual satisfaction is incredibly intertwined with relationship satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to also examine the sexual satisfaction of the sample as well,” explains Dr Mark.

“In the current sample, we found that sexual adventurousness significantly predicted sexual satisfaction levels. Such that the greater number of sexually adventurous activities a person engaged in, the higher their overall sexual satisfaction with that partner. Therefore, couples who are more sexually adventurous are more likely to be sexually satisfied,” says Dr Mark.