If there’s one universal truth about sex, it’s that there are no universal truths about sex. In fact, even saying “a majority of sexually active people [behave in a certain way]” is dicey, because sexual fantasies and proclivities are as varied as the people who have them.

Nevertheless, a new poll from sex-toy manufacturer Tenga has attempted to peel back the curtain on a very sensitive sexual subject: masturbation fantasies. Pollsters asked 2,000 Brits who they fantasize about when they masturbate. (Isn’t that one of those questions the wise never ask their partner?)

Fortunately for about a third of us, the results indicated 31 percent of women and 39 percent of men fantasize about their partner when they masturbate. Another 33 percent of men admitted thinking about someone else they know, while women copped to imagining made-up characters or celebrities.

Another third of men said they masturbate to memories of former lovers. Only 15 percent of women made the same admission.

Sexpert Alix Fox was unruffled by the numbers. She said fantasizing about past relationships, the hot neighbor or co-worker, or even aliens from faraway planets can be simply a harmless way of keeping sex fresh and interesting.

“Sometimes our minds invent some pretty oddball scenarios or conjure up old memories while we’re indulging [in self-pleasure],” she told The Sun. “I think there’s a tendency to over-interpret what this might mean and even get quite stressed and worried about it. It’s important to remember that fantasies are just that: fantasies.

“Sexuality is complex, and the things we imagine in our heads aren’t necessarily what we’d love to literally happen in our beds, in real life,” she added.

Fox found one statistic particularly interesting.

“It’s intriguing that the Tenga survey shows guys are more prone to thinking about individuals they know, whereas high numbers of women invent entirely new, dashing strangers in their brains,” she told The Sun. “Perhaps the females of the species have wilder imaginations?”

Image © Atanasis.