The old notion that men multiply their number of past sexual partners by three to seem like they've gotten more action while women divide by three to seem like they've gotten less is nothing new, so it's unsurprising that research confirms that both sexes really are lying.

Remember that whole movie about how Anna Faris had to marry a guy so her number didn't get too high? Yeah, no wonder we lie.

A 2003 study showed that men weren't actually having more partners than women as was presumed, but that women were lying about it more when they thought they wouldn't be caught, presumably to seem less promiscuous. Ten years later, researchers have followed up on the previous study and found largely the same results.

In a study of 300 college students asked to complete a questionnaire about 124 different behaviors they might engage in (which had been previous determined in another study to be "stereotypically" masculine or feminine), some students were hooked up to what they believed to be a working lie detector. Whether or not they thought their honesty was being tested, men and women didn't seem to feel any pressure to conform to traditional gender stereotypes. For instance, women were just as likely to report "masculine" habits, like lifting weights, whether or not they were attached to the lie detector. (Um, yeah, that's not actually embarrassing for anyone.)

But when it came to reporting sexual activity, both men and women seemed to feel pressure to conform to their stereotypes—men as womanizing Casanovas and women as innocent ladies with few partners. When they answered the questions with the lie detector attached, men actually reported fewer partners and women reported more.

Of course, it's worth noting that the study was conducted among college students, so it's possible older men and women might not have the same reaction. As we get older, it may be more commonly expected that people who have been single for a significant portion of their adulthood will have more partners. And also, I don't know about you guys, but the older I get the less of a crap I gave what people think about that stuff anyway. I'm not ashamed to tell you I fished a pair of sweatpants out of my dirty laundry to wear this morning (yeah, that's supposedly a dude habit), and I'm not ashamed of my sexual past either.

Are you honest about your number of sexual partners? Have you ever felt compelled to lie about it? Why do you think men and women still feel like they need to measure up to a stereotype only when it comes to their sex lives? I can think of at least one reason women might feel like they can't be honest about sexual activity. AHEM.

Dealing with numbers:

What Guys Really Think: About Your Number (Yes, That Number)

10 Ways to Deal With Your Partner's Sexual Past (Because You Have To)

Poll: Do You Know Your Boyfriend's Number of Past Sexual Partners?

Photo: Courtesy of Everett Collection