In the diverse spectrum of human sexuality, one term gaining popularity in recent years is “sapiosexuality.” Combining the Latin root for wisdom, “sapio,” with “sexuality,” this term refers to a unique type of attraction: an individual who is drawn primarily to intelligence in others, beyond just physical attributes or personality traits. According to new psychology research, a small percentage of people may genuinely be “turned on” by intelligence.
This new study, published in the journal Intelligence, found that most people indeed desire a partner who is intelligent. Notably, however, a small segment of the population expressed that intelligence alone is a strong source of sexual arousal for them.
For sapiosexual individuals, the traits that spark desire are not necessarily traditional; rather, it’s a sharp mind, keen wit, and an ability to engage in stimulating conversation that ignite romantic interest. While this doesn’t mean physical attraction is entirely absent, the intellectual connection takes center stage.
While there’s limited scientific research specifically on sapiosexuality, studies in evolutionary psychology suggest that intelligence and education can be attractive traits. Intelligence, which is associated with problem-solving abilities and often with higher status, is believed to signal advantageous traits for survival and reproduction.
“A lot of research had shown that ‘intelligent’ was a highly ranked characteristic in a partner, but I had my doubts that people preferred a very high level of intelligence in a partner,” explained Gilles Gignac, a senior lecturer at the University of Western Australia and lead author of the new study.
“Because much the previous research in the area had used rank measurement, it was impossible to tell what level of intelligence people, on average, preferred. A different type of study needed to be conducted to find out,” he told PsyPost.
“A second part of the study was relevant to the word ‘sapiosexual,’ a person who finds high levels of intelligence the most sexually attractive characteristic in a partner,” Gignac said. “The word sapiosexual had been used in popular culture, but had not yet been investigated scientifically. Consequently, I wondered whether sapiosexuality could be measured with a conventional psychometric scale and how many self-described sapiosexuals there might be in the population.”
For their study, Gignac and his colleagues surveyed 383 adults to learn about the traits they value in romantic partners and how attractive they found people with varying levels of intelligence. They used both self-report surveys and new rating scales to gauge responses to different intelligence levels, asking participants to rate how appealing they would find partners across a range of IQ percentiles.
When participants ranked traits, “intelligent” emerged as the second most desirable quality, trailing only “kind and understanding.” “Exciting personality” and “easygoing” followed as the third and fourth most valued traits.
The study found that, overall, people rated higher intelligence levels as more attractive. Yet, this appeal appeared to peak at an IQ level equivalent to the 90th percentile, or an IQ of around 120.
“We found that the association between desirability of a prospective partner and IQ of the prospective partner is curvilinear: it peaks at an IQ of 120 (90th percentile) and drops a bit from 120 to 135 (99th percentile),” Gignac explained.
In other words, participants were most attracted to a potential partner who was more intelligent than 90% of the population, but they found someone who was smarter than 99% of the population to be slightly less attractive—though still more attractive than someone with average intelligence.
The study also found some gender differences, with women slightly more likely to report attraction to intelligence than men. However, these differences were modest, and overall, both men and women showed similar preferences regarding intelligence in partners. Importantly, there was no link between a participant’s own intelligence and their attraction to intelligence in a partner, suggesting that factors other than one’s own IQ, such as personality traits, might influence sapiosexuality.
In addition to these ratings, the researchers developed a measure to assess sapiosexuality, asking participants how much they agreed with statements such as “Listening to someone speak very intelligently arouses me sexually” and “It would excite me sexually to have an intellectually stimulating conversation with a potential partner.” To further validate their findings, the study also included four cognitive tests to examine participants’ own intelligence levels.
The study revealed that sapiosexuality is measurable, with 1% to 8% of relatively young adults (ages 18 to 35) showing signs of identifying as sapiosexuals. Intriguingly, however, an individual’s own intelligence—measured objectively through IQ testing—did not predict whether they identified as sapiosexual.
As with all studies, there were limitations to the research. Gignac noted, “With respect to examining predictors of sapiosexuality, the study did not include people with below-average levels of intelligence (i.e., IQ < 100). Consequently, a relationship between actual IQ and degree to which people identify with being a sapiosexual may yet emerge.”
Additionally, the study’s findings suggest that intelligence may not be the only desirable mate characteristic that loses appeal at the very highest levels. “It remains to be determined whether intelligence is the only desirable mate characteristic that peaks at the 90th percentile. Perhaps all sorts of desirable mate characteristics (good looks, kindness, easygoingness, etc.) would show a drop in desirability at very elevated levels (i.e., from the 90th to 99th percentiles),” Gignac said.
The study, “Some people are attracted sexually to intelligence: A psychometric evaluation of sapiosexuality”, was co-authored by Joey Darbyshire and Michelle Ooi.
