There are countless ways to do the deed, but not everyone likes having sex in every way. What shapes each person's preferences?
Your personality seems to play a role, according to a study of 607 college students led by Ashley Peterson, a psychologist at the State University of New York at New Paltz. The researchers examined how a battery of traits predicts preferences for masturbation, as well as vaginal, oral, and anal sex.
Some findings were expected: Openness correlated with a preference for variety, for example. But some of the links between carnal desire and inner character caught researchers by surprise.
Between the Sheets
Peterson originally thought that extraversion would correlate with a preference for variety. Since extraverts are generally more promiscuous, she expected that they would also be more likely to enjoy experimentation and many kinds of sex.
But the research uncovered no such link in men or women—most likely because Peterson's study looked at what people like to do when they have sex, not how often they like to have it. Outgoing folks might have a lot of sex, but they don't necessarily want to mix things up.
The reverse is also true. "You can be introverted and still like a range of sex acts, but you might do them with fewer people," says Peterson.