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TRUE NATUREIntimacy and sexual psychology · 18+
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Desire
TRUE NATURE editorial

Male and female desire: what large studies show—and what averages cannot explain

A meta-analysis of 211 studies involving more than 621,000 people found higher sexual desire among men, on average. The authors viewed sex drive as a tendency expressed through thoughts, feelings, and behaviour; the studies included fantasies, sexual desire, and masturbation. After adjusting for the tendency to give socially desirable answers, the difference became smaller but remained.


This is an average difference between groups. The meta-analysis does not explain why it arises or predict who in a particular couple will want sex more often. Nor does it describe desire on a particular evening: even within one person, it can vary with circumstances and how they feel. A statistical average is not a timetable that libido has to follow.

If desire differs within a couple, a number cannot decide whose level is “normal.” It is more useful to understand where the difference lies: frequency, initiation, timing, tenderness, or feeling pressured. Sometimes partners want different amounts of intimacy; sometimes one person finds it hard to feel desire in the usual circumstances. Those details are better discussed together, without relying on a rule about what a man or a woman “should” feel.

Research and further reading


Educational articles for general information. They do not replace advice from a qualified professional.

Editorial approach

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