The past is never really past — not when it comes to love. A new study suggests that when people evaluate potential long-term partners, they don’t just consider how many sexual partners someone has had. They also take into account when those relationships occurred.

In a global survey involving over 5,000 adults from 11 countries, researchers found that people were less put off by a high number of past partners if those encounters had occurred primarily earlier in life. In other words, timing is everything — even in matters of the heart.

“People use sexual history as a cue to assess relationship risk,” said Dr. Andrew G. Thomas, lead author of the study and a psychologist at Swansea University in Wales. “What’s particularly interesting about this study’s findings is that this effect diminishes when those encounters occurred primarily in the past.”

Timing the Past

Studies have shown that people tend to shy away from potential partners perceived as promiscuous. The number of partners that might make you promiscuous varies from place to place. The assumption — perhaps unfairly — is that a high “body count” might signal risk. This could be risk of infidelity, risk of sexually transmitted infections, or risk of emotional instability.

But this new research shows that it’s not just how many, but when.

Participants were shown visual timelines representing a potential partner’s sexual history. Each person had the same number of previous partners — either 4, 12, or 36 — but the timing of those encounters varied. Some timelines showed a burst of activity early in life that tapered off. Others depicted a steady rhythm. Some showed increasing frequency over time.

Participants were then asked how willing they would be to enter into a long-term relationship with the person depicted in each scenario.

Across all partner-number categories, people consistently preferred patterns where sexual activity decreased over time. Those who had “slowed down” were viewed more favorably than those whose sexual activity had ramped up.

When asked about any evolutionary logic behind this, Thomas explained: “In our ancestral past, knowing someone’s sexual history could help people avoid risks like STIs, infidelity, emotional instability, or rivalry with ex-partners.”

In effect, the pattern of one’s sexual history was interpreted as a clue to their current and future behavior. Someone with many past partners who had since settled down was seen as less risky — and more commitment-ready.

No Double Standard?

Popular culture has long indulged a double standard when it comes to sexual history. Men with many partners are often labeled as “players” or “studs,” while women may be branded with derogatory terms.

But this study found something different. When evaluating timelines, men and women made similar judgments. In fact, the researchers reported “minimal and inconsistent” sex differences.

“The results of this study point to a lack of sexual double standards,” Thomas said, “challenging the idea that women are judged more harshly for their sexual past than men.”

Perhaps the most striking aspect of the research is how widespread these patterns are.

The study included participants from five continents: Europe, Asia, Australia, North America, and South America. These included countries as culturally diverse as Norway, China, Brazil, Italy, and the United States.

In every country, people preferred fewer past partners. But more importantly, in every country, people judged others more favorably when their sexual activity had slowed over time.

Some cultures, like Norway and the U.S., were generally more forgiving, while others, like China and Poland, showed more caution. But the direction of the effect — favoring fewer and earlier partners — was consistent.

This suggests, according to the researchers, that the tendency to factor in both the number and timing of a partner’s past relationships may be rooted in a shared human psychology — one shaped by the risks and rewards of mating over evolutionary time.

“Choosing Person A as a potential long-term partner might pose less of a risk,” the authors write, “compared to Person B because… they may no longer be in a period of sexual experimentation and be more willing to commit.”

The Role of Attitude Towards Casual Sex

Not everyone viewed past sexual history through the same lens.

The researchers also assessed participants’ sociosexuality — a measure of how open someone is to casual sex. Those with a more liberal attitude toward short-term relationships were generally more forgiving of a partner’s sexual history.

Still, even they showed a preference for people who had fewer partners and whose activity had declined over time. The effects were muted, but present.

“The online discourse around people’s sexual history can be very damning,” said Thomas. “But the results of this study reveal the picture is far more nuanced.”

Where Do We Draw the Line?

What counts as “too many” sexual partners? That depends on who you ask — and where.

According to a range of previous surveys, the average number of sexual partners reported by adults varies. In the U.S., men average around 6.1 partners and women around 4.2. Millennials seem to hover around eight. In more conservative countries, like India or Vietnam, averages drop to under four. In Louisiana, they soar to over 15.

The new study may help reframe the sometimes-toxic debate about so-called “body counts.” Rather than drawing harsh conclusions based solely on numbers, people seem to factor in change over time. A high number of partners is less damning if it reflects a chapter that’s now closed.

“Assessment of sexual history is not simply about ‘who’ or ‘what,’” the authors conclude, “but a consideration of ‘how’, ‘why’ and ‘when.’”

The findings appeared in the journal Scientific Reports.