What bedtimes say about our sex lives

WHETHER you’re a morning or evening person can influence your attitude to sex, a study claims.

Night owls who wake up later and stay up longer tend to have more relaxed attitudes towards casual encounters.

Meanwhile those who are early to rise and early to bed, are likely to be more conservative, according to research by Pennsylvania State University in the US. A person’s inclination to engage in uncommitted sex is known as their ‘sociosexuality’. Study author Dr robert Matchock said ‘unrestricted sociosexuality’ in night owls may be a consequence of other characteristics found to be associated with people who stay up late.

These include impulsiveness and increased openness to new experiences.

As part of the study, 554 young adults – who did not know its purpose – answered a series of questions about the number of one-night stands they’ve had and their attitudes towards sex without love.

They then answered a questionnaire over their tendency towards morning or evening hours. The research, published in journal Personality and Individual Differences, found that while both evening men and women were more open to casual sex, it only resulted in more onenight stands for the latter.

Late-night types were also more likely to fantasise about sex with strangers.