Having multiple sexual partners does NOT affect your marriage chances in the long-term, study finds

If you’re looking for love but are plagued by a promiscuous past, fear not.

Having multiple sexual partners does not affect your marriage chances in the long-term, a study suggests.

Instead, the effects of promiscuity on marriage rates is ‘seasonal’ and the number of sexual partners accrued over a lifetime does not appear to have an impact, scientists say.

If you’re looking for love but are plagued by a promiscuous past, fear not. Having multiple sexual partners does not affect your marriage chances in the long-term, a study suggests (stock image)

Women’s chances of first marriage netween age 16 and 40 by reported number of non-marital sex partners

Researchers from the Universities of Utah and Oklahoma in the US analysed data on nearly 9,000 people who had been followed for 18 years up to 2015.

They discovered that the recent number of sex partners was associated with a reduction in the odds of marriage, but this effect only lasted a year – suggesting the link is temporary.

Writing in the journal Social Science Research, they said: ‘We propose that the effect of multiple sex partners on the likelihood of marriage is seasonal, reflecting a period where the persons are enjoying sexual activity with less commitment.

‘Yet having multiple sex partners does not seem to discernibly influence their odds of marriage in the long run.

‘Although heterosexual women have historically been stigmatised for having casual sex, our analyses suggest that this does not manifest itself in long-term singleness.

‘Women with multiple sex partners are just as likely to get married as are virgins, if somewhat later.’

The personal lives of Tom Jones, Russell Brand and even Lindsay Lohan appear to support the findings – as all admit to having promiscuous pasts but eventually tied the knot.

The researchers said experts have attributed a number of explanations as to why people appear to be delaying marriage or foregoing it altogether.

These include the stronger economic prospects of women, wanting to achieve economic stability before marriage, and the ‘creeping disenchantment’ with the idea of lifelong commitment.

The researchers said experts have attributed a number of explanations as to why people appear to be delaying marriage or foregoing it altogether (stock image)

A more controversial theory is the idea that the broad acceptance and availability of casual sex in recent years has made marriage less necessary or even desirable.

‘In a world where one can have casual sex with little to no commitment, the argument goes that some men and women will simply have one less traditional incentive to get married, as well as less incentive to become the kind of person who is ‘marriage material’,’ they said.

They found the lowest likelihood of marriage for both men and women was in those with zero partners – presumably because they are either ‘not pursuing romantic relationships or have been persistently unsuccessful on the marriage market’.

Analysis also revealed the average marriage age for more promiscuous women was only a few years higher than their peers with fewer partners.

And over the course of the study, only a small majority of people reported sleeping with five or more people per year.

‘We can picture how this scenario unfolds,’ the researchers said. ‘If marriage appears on the horizon, people only have sex with their partners.

‘Conversely, continuing to have sex with non-marital partners may also make marriage less likely.

‘Either way, it is a short-term effect. A man or woman who is still engaging with multiple sex partners as a young adult does not compromise his or her marriage prospects down the road.’