Americans Have Way More Casual Sex and Sexual Partners Than 30 Years Ago

The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Universal Pictures
The 40-Year-Old Virgin | Universal Pictures

Today in news that may leave you joyous, exuberant, and otherwise rapt with passion: All the numbers point to Americans having lots and lots more sex than they used to -- at least according to this infographic produced by sex psychologist Dr. Justin Lehmiller, based off research reported to the General Social Survey.

Lehmiller's chart breaks down how American attitudes and sexual behaviors have shifted in the last 30 years, and if you're a person who enjoys sex, there's plenty of reason to be hopeful. Here are the highlights from the Lehmiller's breakdown:

Sexual partners: Up

The average number of sexual partners increased by more than 57% since the 1980s, from 7 partners on average from 1988-89 to 11 from 2010-12.

The number of Americans who report having had casual sex in the last year jumped by 10%. In the '80s 26.7% of responders copped to no-strings nookie, compared to 37.9% in 2012. Note that the numbers end with 2012; dating apps have only skyrocketed in popularity and cultural acceptance since then.

Friends with benefits: Up

The amount of acquaintances people report having sex with has also jumped almost 10%. In the '80s 32.1% of respondents said they'd had sex with a friend in the last year. By the 2010s, that number's grown to 41.2%.

Regular partners: 'Bout the same

Not a huge discrepancy on this one. The number of folks who say they get the dirty business on the regular from one partner grew from 92.3% to 93.1%. True love is still on top.

Paying for sex: Still not a thing most people do (or admit to)

This one's gone up from 1.8% of respondents in the '80s who said they paid for sex in the past year, to 3.2% -- not a significant change.

Attitudes have also shifted

Premarital sex and and same sex activity are more widely accepted now than they were before, the chart reports -- but teen sex and extramarital sex are still far more likely to be seen as "Always Wrong."

All this might not exactly be surprising in the age of Tinder and wide-release films with names like Sausage Party. American society's views on sex have come a long way since the time of the AIDS epidemic, and way further since sexual frustration in women was classified as "hysteria." Despite how depressing the national dialogue on these topics can be sometimes, we're lucky to live in a time where sex education and conversations about sexuality aren't nearly as repressed or reductive.

The next time your (well-meaning) friends in relationships give you a hard time about how many Tinder dates you've been on this year, point them to this data and tell them to keep stepping.

See the full chart below.

H/T: Lehmiller, General Social Survey

Changes in Americans' Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors Since the 1980s Infographic
Lehmiller.com
Eric Vilas-Boas is a writer and editor at Thrillist. Follow him at @e_vb_.