A fundamental step in understanding the connections between human nature and intimate relationships is understanding human sexuality. Alfred Kinsey, in his pioneering study of human sexual behavior, illustrated how individuals differ in their sexual attitudes, beliefs, and preferences (Kinsey, Pomeroy, & Martin, 1948). In particular, a marked difference was highlighted in individuals' sociosexual attitudes and behaviors. Following this, many sociosexual characteristics that differ between individuals, including preferred frequency of sexual intercourse, the number of different sexual partners they plan to have in the future, and their willingness to engage in non-sexual relationships committed, vary (Eysenk, 1976). , cited in Barnes, Malamuth & Check, 1984). Considered together, these characteristics compose a dimension of individual difference called sociosexuality (Snyder, Simpson & Gangestad, 1986). Sociosexuality reflects the tendency to engage in casual, noncommittal sexual encounters (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). People with a restricted sociosexual orientation generally prefer the closeness and commitment of their romantic partner before engaging in sexual relationships (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). These individuals report that they rarely have one-night stands and that they need emotional intimacy in a romantic relationship before they will feel comfortable with sex (Simpson & Gangestad, 1991). Conversely, unrestricted individuals need little or no emotional connection with a partner to have sex. These individuals are more likely to be involved in extramarital affairs (Seal, Agostinelli, & Hannett, 1994) and more frequently demonstrate sexual assertiveness, such as flirting (Simpson, Gangestad, & Nations, 1996). ...middle of article......more sensations than men (Leone et al, 2001), women were also expected to be more hypersensitive to punishment than men showing scores Higher BIS, as measured by Carver and White's (1994) BIS/BAS scale. Given that the behavioral inhibition system is linked to variables correlated with low sensation seeking, such as anxiety (Segal, 1973), it was expected that higher BIS scores and lower of sensation seeking explain the restricted sociosexuality of women. . Given that thrill seekers share traits with sociosexually unrestricted individuals, such as disinhibition, it was expected that men's unrestricted sociosexuality could be explained by higher sensation seeking scores and lower BIS scores. Therefore, the second hypothesis was that gender differences in sensation seeking and BIS would mediate gender differences in sociosexuality...