Research Suggests Millennials Are Interested In Threesomes More Than Ever Before

A recent study suggests that young people are interested in threesomes more than ever before. However, in spite of the finding by researchers from the University of New Brunswick (UNB), very few people have actually participated in a threesome.

The study, titled "Heterosexual Young Adults' Interest, Attitudes, and Experiences Related to Mixed-Gender, Multi-Person Sex," was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Psychologists Dr. Ashley Thompson and Dr. E Sandra Byers reportedly came across several problems with the limited previous research that examined threesomes, according to Medium. The pair polled nearly 300 men and women for the UNB study. The participants were between the ages of 18 and 24.

"We have greater access to porn than ever before, so we see more sexual acts and behaviors, which increases interest. I speculate the same is true for threesomes and multiples," Thompson told the Daily Mail Friday. "I was motivated just from hearing friends and students talking colloquially about threesomes and about situations where they were more or less appealing, and with whom."

Participants were asked to complete a variety of questionnaires for the research team, according to the study's consent form. The questions inquired about the individuals' sexual attitudes, previous sexual experiences and their sexual interests.

Participants were also requested to read through a sexual scenario and provide feedback regarding their interpretation of the situation. If an individual felt uncomfortable answering a question, they had the option to not answer it or withdraw from the study altogether. All information provided by interviewees was confidential.

The study's results confirmed that very few students have participated in the sexual act. Although 64 percent of individuals expressed interest in doing a mixed-gender threesome (MGT), only 13 percent of individuals have actually followed through.

"The overall level of interest was quite low and varied according to contextual variables (i.e., what other persons were involved)," the study's abstract read. "Men's interest remained unaffected by third person status as long as the MGT involved familiar others (friends and acquaintances) rather than strangers."

The abstract added: "Women preferred familiar others only for MGTs with which they were the third person, not for those involving a romantic partner."

The results also appeared to show that young people aren't judgmental about others engaging in mixed-gender threesomes, but they're not necessarily willing to participate in one themselves.

Threesomes have been previously surveyed over the years. Individuals residing in New York, London, Moscow, Sao Paulo and Hong Kong were surveyed by ABC News for a sex survey in 2004. More than 5,000 interviews confirmed that only 14 percent of men and women had reported their participation in threesomes.

The number of threesome participants decreased following a survey conducted by Cosmopolitan and AskMen in 2010. Less than 10 percent of men and women, out of a group of 100,000 participants, claimed to have previous involvement in the sexual act.

A representative from the research team at the University of New Brunswick did not immediately return International Business Times' request for comment.