I had a related insight into the psychology of men and numbers one day when my ex got on the bathroom scale and exclaimed " this scale is broken! It says I weigh 215 lbs. I don't weigh 215; I weigh 185. I weighed myself in college and that's what I weighed then. This scale is broken." I didn't bother to argue because this blinding glimpse into male psychology was too precious to dissipate in an argument. (My ex was quite intelligent and was generally good with numbers.) I mean, if I got on the scale and it registered more lbs than I believe I weighed, I'd go on a diet; it would never occur to me that the scale was "broken."
As for # of lovers -- despite men's alleged Don Juanism, I have never met a man who kept count of how many lovers they had nor who showed off about whatever that number was. This contradicts the Don Juan stereotype and I don't know how to account for it. Of course, this could be because I am a woman; maybe they show off to other men....but, somehow, I doubt it.
Joanna