A personality psychologist details the differences between introverts and extroverts — including how often they have sex

t.germeau / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

There are countless differences between the ways extroverts live their lives compared to introverts. According to personality psychologist Brian Little, those differences extend into the bedroom.

During a talk at this year's TED conference in Vancouver, Little cited research suggesting that there is a significant difference in the amount of sex that introverts have compared to extroverts. The gist: Both extroverted men and women have more sex on average than their introverted counterparts.

A large study of university students in West Germany used a standard personality test called the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI) to categorize participants, and then asked them how much sex they had. Extroverted men reported having sex 5.5 times a month, compared to 3 times for introverted men. Extroverted women had even more sex (7.5 times a month) compared to the introverts (3.1 times a month).

One caveat: this study was obviously self-reported. It may be that extroverts simply say they have more sex than introverts. 

During his talk, Little — a professor at Cambridge University and a mentor to well-known psychologist Adam Grant  — discussed other differences he's found between introverts and extroverts.

"Extroverts like to stand close, make eye contact, have a mutual gaze. When an extrovert meets [someone named] Charles, it rapidly becomes Charlie, Chuck, and Chuckles Baby. Introverts stay with Charles until they're given a pass to be more intimate," he says.

NOW WATCH: This simple sideline test can detect brain injuries in football players