Thanks for being one of the first people to try out Lustability. This is a Beta Test of the site, which means that there may be one or two bugs still lurking around. It also means that the scores it generates might not be quite as accurate as they'll be once we've got a much larger batch of people to answer the questions (which will help us calculate proper statistical norms). You should be able, however, to get a feel for how it works - and we'll be most interested to get feedback from you. Drop us a line at the email address on the Contact page.

The Lustability Test.

What is it?

The Lustability Test is a questionnaire designed for completion by two people who may be contemplating a sexual relationship. By comparing the answers of one person to those of the other, the test shows the couple’s overall sexual compatibility and also suggests how well-matched they might be in four different areas of sexual preference. In addition, it shows how each person’s levels of dominance and submissiveness compare to the other’s.

Who is it for?

Life used to be simpler. Individuals would meet each other in the ‘real’ world and if they were physically attracted to one another, they might start going out together, and then perhaps end up in bed if everything worked out favourably.

But thanks to modern communications, things are more complex today. People are being introduced to one another in new ways (the Internet for instance). They may start relationships without even having physically met.

The Lustability test is designed, therefore, to help two people discover their sexual compatibility at a very early stage in getting to know one another.

Existing couples might use the test to explore their sexual compatibility, perhaps with a view to working out their differences, should they discover they have some.

Why is it needed?

Some people find it easy to talk about sex. They might be quite happy, for instance, to tell the world that they’re into sado-masochism and not worry who knows it.

Others however (and it could well be a substantial number) may find it more difficult to disclose their true sexual feelings - even to those with whom they are already involved in intimate relationships.

The Lustability test, therefore, allows the anonymous completion of a questionnaire by two people, resulting in overall scores which don’t reveal each person’s individual answers.

Psychologists know that we’re all very different in our sexual responses. Some people would only be happy if they were having sex twice a day, for instance, while others might be content to have it just once a month. Some are very experimental in their approach to love-making, while others are strictly ‘lights-off, missionary-position’ lovers.

The psychology of sex is complicated, but it is clear that the happiest relationships are those where good sex is taking place - and ‘good sex’ means an intimate relationship which is regarded as satisfactory or better by both partners.

In layman’s terms, good sex probably happens when both partners want approximately the same amount of the same kinds of activities.

How do you measure sexual compatibility?

The idea of a sexual compatibility test is, surprisingly enough, a new one. We’ve found ‘negotiation questionnaires’ for those involved in heavy sado-masochistic scenes, but we’ve not come across an instrument that would cater for people of every sexual persuasion; whether their tastes were ‘vanilla’ or extreme.

Most psychologists agree that fantasy is the key to sexual preferences. Whilst individuals might not always be honest about what they actually admit they’d like to do given the chance, they’re more likely to give an accurate answer if you ask them (slightly indirectly) about their fantasies.

We’ve devised a way of comparing two people’s answers to a questionnaire, then have established a means of processing them in relation to a statistically valid norm so as to arrive at a measure of compatibility which assesses how well matched this couple are in comparison to all other couples.

What does the test show?

1. Overall sexual compatibility in the form of an index where 100 is average compatibility, higher than 100 means higher compatibility, lower than that means lower than average compatibility.

2. Sub-scores showing compatibility in four areas:

∗ Intimacy with a Loved Partner

∗ Threesomes, Foursomes and Moresomes

∗ Toys and Fetishes

∗ Bondage and Spanking

3. A comparison of each person’s Submissiveness and Dominance. Contrary to popular opinion, people do not tend to be one or the other, but are usually a balance of the two. Those who like spanking tend to like being spanked, whilst those who don’t enjoy receiving it are likely to dislike giving it too.

Who invented it?

Psychologist Dr Glenn Wilson conducted the original research which led to the SFQ in 1978 under the supervision of Professor Hans Eysenck at the Institute of Psychiatry, part of the University of London. Professor Eysenck was the pioneer of IQ and founding father of psychology. Dr Wilson is the author of 30 books and more than 100 articles, specialising particularly in the psychology of sex and attraction.

Jon Cousins is a creative entrepreneur who worked in partnership with Dr Wilson to develop the CQ (Compatibility Quotient), a test designed to forecast long-term romantic compatibility. The Lustability site is the work of Jon Cousins.

Further reading.

EYSENCK, H.J. (1976). Sex and Personality. London: Open

WILSON, G.D. & NIAS, D. (1976). Love’s Mysteries. London: Open

WILSON, G.D. (1978). The Secrets of Sexual Fantasy. London: Dent

EYSENCK, H.J. & WILSON, G.D. (1979). The Psychology of Sex. London: Dent

WILSON, G.D. & McLAUGHLIN, C. (2001). The Science of Love. London: Fusion Books.