I devoted a page or so of BLONDES to places in the world where people are most promiscuous, based on the findings of the International Sexuality Description Project (IDSP). Now here’s an addendum — a new study, also by the IDSP, that has found links between national character and sexuality based on surveys taken by more than 13,000 people in 46 nations. The researchers found that nations vary in character — for instance, some have more “extroverted” and “neurotic” cultures than others.

Unsurprisingly, extroversion is linked with promiscuity, and men and women in “introverted” nations — South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and Ethiopia — reported less promiscuity and desire for flings. Women who scored highest on both extroversion and promiscuity tend to be from Europe — in particular, Serbia, Croatia, Switzerland, and Austria. Extroverts were also more likely to “poach” mates, i.e. steal another person’s partner.

Neuroticism (defined by anxiety and high stress) was another factor, and countries with the highest scores on this count — Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong — had fewer people reporting or desiring flings than those in the relatively laidback countries of Finland, Slovenia, Croatia, and New Zealand. However, there’s a notable exception to the rule: North American women who scored high in neuroticism were more likely to be promiscuous.

As the researchers themselves point out, there are limitations to the study. For one, some nations might be more truthful in surveys than others, or have different conceptions of promiscuity and short-term relationships. Perhaps “conscientious, neurotic, introverted” nations such as Japan are actually more promiscuous than one might imagine….

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