Episode 14: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Threesomes
November 30, 2020 by Justin Lehmiller
Having a threesome is one of the most popular sexual fantasies. In fact, when I surveyed more than 4,000 Americans about their biggest turn-ons for my book Tell Me What You Want, I found that threesomes were the single most common thing people mentioned when they described their favorite fantasy of all time. However, despite the widespread appeal of this sex act, relatively few people have ever had one in real life.
But just how many people have ever had a threesome before? What were their experiences like? And what do people who are thinking about having a threeway need to know?
For this episode of the podcast, I interviewed Dr. Ryan Scoats, who is often reported in the media as being the first person in the world to get a “PhD in threesomes.” He is currently a Lecturer in Sociology at Coventry University, and his latest book is titled Understanding Threesomes: Gender, Sex, and Consensual Non-Monogamy.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including:
- Why is there so little scientific research on threesomes, and why is this important to study in the first place?
- Why is the idea of having a threesome such a popular turn-on?
- How many people have ever had a threesome before? Are certain types of people more likely to have them than others?
- Why do women tend to report less interest in threesomes than men? Under what circumstances are women most interested in group sex?
- What are people’s experiences with threesomes actually like? And what are the most common issues that tend to come up?
- What happens after a threesome?
- What do people who are thinking about having a threesome need to know in order to increase the odds of a positive and pleasurable experience for all involved?
To learn more about Ryan’s work, check out his website here. You can also pick up a copy of his book Understanding Threesomes here.
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Dr. Justin Lehmiller
Founder & Owner of Sex and PsychologyDr. Justin Lehmiller is a social psychologist and Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute. He runs the Sex and Psychology blog and podcast and is author of the popular book Tell Me What You Want. Dr. Lehmiller is an award-winning educator, and a prolific researcher who has published more than 50 academic works.
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