How The Big Five Personality Test Indicates How Much Sex You’ll Have In Your Relationships

Isabela Kronemberger

Personality research has concluded that there are definitive links between different personalities and the predicted probability of how often individuals want to have sex — as well as how much certain personalities actually enjoy their sex lives.

The Big Five model is the most effective model in accurately analyzing your personality type and how you interact with other personality type. It’s a theory — proven to be more accurate than Myers-Briggs — that uses common language to determine that there are five broad categories to describe personality and the human psyche.

These are the five factors that make an individual’s personality (each factor is split into two subcategories):

1. Openness to experience

Inventive/Curious: Fairly straight forward, but those who are open to new experience typically have a high degree of intellectual and emotional curiosity and creativity and usually value other individuals who are adventurous too. This person is also imaginative and independent and hates routine. Their downfalls include unpredictability, a lack of focus, and a higher risk of engaging in sometimes dangerous behavior.

Consistent/Cautious: These people do not gain fulfillment from constantly trying new things — instead, those with a low openness score find happiness in perseverance, data, fact, and routine.

If you’re unsure how you should answer, think about whether you feel claustrophobic in routines or the last time you genuinely really craved adventure.

2. Conscientiousness

Efficient/Organized: These are the types of people who plan ahead and aim for achievement constantly. They’re organized and easily dependable and will get the job done. They are usually seen as stubborn and sometimes obsessive.

Easy-Going/Careless: These people are flexible and spontaneous in their decision-making. They are usually seen as flakey and unreliable at times.

If you’re unsure how you should answer, think about how often you show up on time to things or how quickly you respond to emails and/or texts.

3. Extraversion

Outgoing/Energetic: Usually the most assertive people in a room; very social. They tend to actively seek out the company of others in order to feel most at ease. Very talkative, sometimes viewed as attention-seeking.

Solitary/Reserved: Someone who feels most at ease alone or with very few people at a time. Very reflective and reserved. Sometimes seen as self-absorbed or rude.

If you’re unsure how you should answer, think about how often you want to hang out with big groups of people.

4. Agreeableness

Friendly/Compassionate: This is a measure of how trusting you are towards other people. These people are usually very helpful and well-temperered for the most part. Seen as cooperative in group situations; sometimes seen as naive or easily submissive.

Challenging/Detached: Very competitive. These people usually challenge others’ ideas and love to argue. They’re usually viewed by everyone else as being untrustworthy.

If you’re unsure how you should answer, think about how eager you are to please people.

5. Neuroticism

Sensitive/Nervous: These types of people easily experience “unpleasant” emotions at the drop of a hat — anger, anxiety, depression, vulnerability, etc. — and are usually less emotionally stable and are less likely to be able to control their impulses. They are usually perceived as insecure.

Secure/Confident: Usually calm people — no matter what situation they’re in. Even though they have a greater need for emotional stability, they can be seen as unconcerned with what’s going on around them.

If you’re unsure how you should answer, think about how you handle difficult situations.

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So, sex. How does your personality and how does your partner’s personality impact how often you have sex and how much each of you enjoy it?

Studies have shown that men typically want and/or want to initiate sex more than women (within the context of heterosexual relationships), but women are usually the final say in whether sex actually happens. Although sexual frequency is hard to measure (it’s really a huge spectrum with a lot of factors), it’s proven that women who are more inventive/curious to being open to experience or women who are more agreeable are more likely to agree to having sex with her partner.

But this doesn’t necessarily mean more sex = happier relationships. Sexual satisfaction is very much impacted by personality types.

For both men and women, higher levels of neuroticism (from either partner) are linked to lower levels of satisfaction overall. While women with a higher level of openness to experience leads to more sex and sexual satisfaction for women in the relationship, it had the opposite effect on men. Being highly conscientiousness, for both partners, leads to both higher satisfaction sexually and overall in life.

Extroversion is complicated. Typically extroverted individuals are predicted to be really satisfied in both love and sex. They’re usually happier individuals and love connecting with people, which means they actively seek out relationships. Too high extroversion, however, can cause problems — a study found that it usually leads to individuals only being able to maintain short-term relationships and developing an aversion to sexual exclusivity. In another study, research found that the combination of high extroversion and low conscientiousness is a horrible pairing, both for relationship happiness and sexual satisfaction.

Weirdly, the research also founded that your individual sexual satisfaction doesn’t depend on what your partner’s personality type is. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

January Nelson is a writer, editor, and dreamer. She writes about astrology, games, love, relationships, and entertainment. January graduated with an English and Literature degree from Columbia University.

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