The Cultural Obsession
Body count — the number of sexual partners a person has had — generates more debate than almost any other relationship topic. Opinions range from 'it's completely irrelevant' to 'it's the most important thing.' The truth, as usual, is more nuanced than either extreme.
What Research Actually Shows
Studies show that partner count correlates very weakly with relationship satisfaction and not at all with sexual skill. What does correlate? Communication ability, emotional intelligence, and attentiveness. Someone with extensive experience but poor communication will be a worse partner than someone with less experience but high emotional intelligence.
Why It's the Wrong Question
Asking about body count is usually a proxy for what someone actually wants to know: are you trustworthy? Are you committed? Are you emotionally available? Those questions are answerable directly, without the loaded metric.