[Paleopsych] Independent: When it comes to sex, men are eternal optimists and romantic at heart

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When it comes to sex, men are eternal optimists and romantic at heart
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/science_technology/article299458.ece
Published: 16 July 2005

Men say they are as romantic as women but expect to sleep with more
partners, according to the biggest online survey of sexual attitudes
and gender differences. The results of a survey of 250,000 men and
women who completed a detailed psychological questionnaire reveal
that many male and female stereotypes are deep-seated and biological.

Men tend to have bigger sex drives than women and are more "sexually
optimistic". When men were asked how many partners they expect to
have over the next five years they averaged 3.4 compared to the
female average of 1.9.

While women performed consistently better than men at psychological
tests involving verbal fluency and locating objects, men tended to do
better at "spatial awareness" tasks. Yet the gender differences are
not completely distinct. Scientists found that about a fifth of men
have typically "female" brains and an equal proportion of women have
a mental approach typical of men.

Professor John Manning of the University of Central Lancashire said
that the on-line survey was unprecedented because it involved people
from about 170 countries and six ethnic groups. The survey was
carried out for a television series called The Secrets of the Sexes,
which begins on BBC1 tomorrow night.

Each person had to answer 200 questions about their sexual behaviour
and attitudes and carry out a series of simple tests of personality
traits and cognitive abilities, such as being able to match the
correct angle of lines drawn on a screen.

"There are well established sex differences in abilities and
behaviours but the question is where do they come from? Are they due
to nurture, or nature or are they a mixture of both?" Professor Manning
said.

The scientists found similar gender differences despite the country
of origin or ethnic background of the participants.

Men say they are as romantic as women but expect to sleep with more
partners, according to the biggest online survey of sexual attitudes
and gender differences. The results of a survey of 250,000 men and
women who completed a detailed psychological questionnaire reveal
that many male and female stereotypes are deep-seated and biological.

Men tend to have bigger sex drives than women and are more "sexually
optimistic". When men were asked how many partners they expect to
have over the next five years they averaged 3.4 compared to the
female average of 1.9.

While women performed consistently better than men at psychological
tests involving verbal fluency and locating objects, men tended to do
better at "spatial awareness" tasks. Yet the gender differences are
not completely distinct. Scientists found that about a fifth of men
have typically "female" brains and an equal proportion of women have
a mental approach typical of men.

Professor John Manning of the University of Central Lancashire said
that the on-line survey was unprecedented because it involved people
from about 170 countries and six ethnic groups. The survey was
carried out for a television series called The Secrets of the Sexes,
which begins on BBC1 tomorrow night.

Each person had to answer 200 questions about their sexual behaviour
and attitudes and carry out a series of simple tests of personality
traits and cognitive abilities, such as being able to match the
correct angle of lines drawn on a screen.

"There are well established sex differences in abilities and
behaviours but the question is where do they come from? Are they due
to nurture, or nature or are they a mixture of both?" Professor Manning
said.

The scientists found similar gender differences despite the country
of origin or ethnic background of the participants.