When it comes to promiscuity, women are more commonly labeled than men. (Shutterstock)

The psychology of promiscuity may not seem that mysterious; sex has become so mainstream and the public is so comfortable with exploring sexuality that promiscuity might even seem a little outdated.

What makes this behavior so interesting, however, is not necessarily why people are promiscuous, but why this word is used to label one gender more than the other.

The psychology of promiscuity

Let’s face it: men are rarely described as being promiscuous – they’re successful, popular, or even lucky. Promiscuity, by definition, is the act of frequent, casual sex or indiscriminate sex with multiple partners, therefore it can apply to both men and women; however, promiscuity tends to have negative connotations, and is most commonly referred to in regards to women.

“Our culture selectively labels women as promiscuous, but not men.  So ‘promiscuity’ is a cultural term, not a scientific one,” Manhattan sex therapist Stephen Snyder, MD , who is the Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai, told Saludify. “There is enormous diversity in human sexuality. There are women who truly love sex and want lots of it with lots of different partners, and who are perfectly emotionally healthy – just different.”

Being promiscuous by definition doesn’t necessarily imply previous trauma or emotional disorder; not everyone who goes through several sexual partners is doing so to compensate for something that happened in the past.

In fact, this scenario is rarely considered when a man has multiple partners. If anything, actions that would define a woman as promiscuous would label a man as “macho,” or romantically successful in the eyes of his peers.

Much of this, explains Yvonne K. Fulbright, PhD, and author of Sultry Sex Talk to Seduce Any Love, has to do with the age-old expectations placed on women regarding virginity and marriage.

“To be promiscuous means to have more than one sexual partner,” she told Saludify. “Given most women in most societies are taught that they are to only have one sex partner, preferably her husband (abstain until marriage), then anything outside of that script gets a negative label.”

Such restrictions are usually not–and have rarely ever been–placed on men, which is why “being promiscuous” remains a way to describe a woman with frequent, multiple partners.

But is there more to being promiscuous?

True to speculation, being promiscuous could be the result of emotional trauma or neglect.

A report on Psychology Today indicates some individuals become promiscuous as a means of reassurance. Someone after a divorce, for example, may have multiple partners in a short amount of time to assure themselves they are still attractive to the opposite sex.

Other individuals may be promiscuous as a mean of exerting control. This is commonly seen in situations with teenage girls who feel sex is the only thing in life they have control over. In this example, promiscuity can be a form of self-harm, despite being a “pleasurable” experience.

Not all individuals who are promiscuous have emotional issues or are looking for escape. Some simply enjoy sex. (Shutterstock)

Just as someone who cut themselves does so for control, so too, do some people have sex for control.

“…there are many other women who have lots of different partners but later say it caused them more emotional pain or numbing than satisfaction,” Snyder told Saludify. “Many of these women report having been sexually abused or emotionally abused or neglected as children.  Many have low self esteem, difficulty asserting their own needs, trouble being alone, and suffer from a sense of being bad or defective.”

He indicates sometimes sex with lots of different partners can be a way of shutting off feelings, or an unconscious repetition of childhood trauma.  Often it’s connected to drug or alcohol problems.

But being promiscuous isn’t always a reflection of inner turmoil.

A study from Patrick Markey, a psychologist at Villanova University, and his wife Charlotte Markey, a psychologist at Rutgers University, found certain personalities were predisposed to being promiscuous.

The data from the study revealed that both extremely “warm” personalities and extremely “cold” personalities tend to be promiscuous.

For warm people, sex can merely be another way of showing affection and appreciation; for cold individuals, sex can be a way to avoid forming attachments.

“…it could be that someone’s not doing it to achieve the most pleasure. Someone actually might be doing it as an expression of their warmth to other people,” Markley told LiveScience. “A warm person might hug lots of people; a warm person might kiss lots of people. Well, maybe a warm person might sleep with lots of people.”

Similarly, individuals who were not raised under any religious or moral constraints regarding sexuality will likely be less guilt-ridden about multiple partners. These individuals are emotionally healthy; their promiscuity is because they enjoy that aspect of life and are not hindered by any mental barriers regarding that behavior.