Bisexual women are more similar to heterosexual men in this “dark” respect: study

She is a boy’s girl.

A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior shows that bisexual women are more likely to engage in casual sex and exhibit more personality traits of the “dark triad” – that is, narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism – making them closer to heterosexual men than women in this regard.

Such “dark” traits were once associated with promiscuity and a penchant for casual sex and are more likely to be present in men, while women are considered more cautious and inhibited, especially when dealing with the opposite sex.

“Understanding how traits differ across sexual orientation groups gives scientists clues about how to better classify and understand them. Patterns of personality variation also tell us which theories are more likely to account for the development of these attraction patterns,” said study author Scott W. Semenyna, assistant professor of psychology at MacEwan University, in a statement.

Among the unscathed, narcissism is characterized by extreme complacency and a lack of empathy for others; psychopathy is characterized by antisocial behavior and a lack of remorse for wrongdoing; and Machiavellianism refers to those who manipulate others for personal gain. The three traits together make up what is known as the Dark Triad of personality.

Studies show that people with such traits have a greater tolerance and even a preference for casual sex, while heterosexual women tend to be more cautious and generally more inhibited about sex than their male counterparts.

“This study builds on previous research that has shown that bisexual women and men do not necessarily represent a ‘middle ground’ between exclusively same-sex and heterosexual attraction, but rather are distinct groups,” Semenyna continued.

The study sample included 1,474 female and 573 male students from two Canadian universities who were asked to answer a series of questionnaires designed to assess their personality traits, sexual behavior, and sexual orientation. Based on participants’ responses, researchers compared heterosexual, predominantly heterosexual, bisexual, and homosexual individuals within each gender to find out whether heterosexual respondents showed a change in traits and behavior that resembled the other gender.

As expected, the results showed that heterosexual men carry most aspects of the Dark Triad, have a higher willingness to engage in casual sex, and are more easily aroused than women of any sexuality. On the other hand, women were found to be more sexually inhibited than men.

However, when sexual orientation was taken into account, bisexual women showed more interest in casual sex and were easier to arouse than their heterosexual peers – and performed better in particular on psychopathy.

When asked why bisexual women are similar to men in this respect, Semenyna replied: “It could simply be because these women worry less about what others think of them and feel less constrained by societal mores that negatively judge same-sex attraction or behavior.”

Remarkably, homosexual women and men did not show the same lack of inhibition as bisexual women or men.

“Sexual orientation is a spectrum, but these kinds of patterns tell us that we shouldn’t assume that this spectrum is a smooth continuum,” Semenyna told PsyPost.

“This line of research is about finding the best ways to systematically classify the spectrum of sexual orientation. Better classification will help us make the theories we use to explain the spectrum of same-sex attraction more precise.”