People have a ton of questions about how they match up against others in bed. Most of us are confident with one skill and question our effectiveness in other areas. We worry about being too big or too small, to dry or to wet, going to long or to fast. So, where do you stack up?
I have delved into the various academic and medical journals about sex and sexuality to give you, dear reader, some answers.
Does it matter if my girls are small?
Not particularly. In a study in the Journal of Sexual Behavior by Dixon et al (2009) researchers tracked eye moments of men looking at photos of women. Men looked at the face and pelvis region first and looked at the breasts longest on each image. Attractiveness was correlated with hip to waist ratios (an hour glass figure was most desirable) and that breast size did not significantly influence judgement of attractiveness.
Is my vagina too big/too loose?
As with so much in medicine, since this involves women, it remains vastly understudied. There are very few studies describing the average dimensions of a healthy vagina. Almost all studies about vaginal function and size has to do with disease and dysfunction. Apparently while researchers are anxious to study dick size, measuring thousands upon thousands and comparing the results, very few care about vaginal size or function. So ladies, if someone ever tells you your vagina is “not normal” or “too small” or “too big,” tell them that is a nonsense statement since science chooses to remain in the dark about our lady bits!
Does it matter?
In a study by the National Institutes of Sexual Health, research on over 500 women found that the length of the vaginal canal did not predict sexual satisfaction.
Does my dick measure up?
Every man wonders about dick size. Most men worry about being small in comparison to others. Many scientists are apparently anxious to grab the members of other men, measure them, and see how everyone compares. Science is literally a dick measuring contest! But how does your little dude compare with his peers?
Veale et al (2014) compiled metadata about penis size from a large number of studies. To be inlcuded in the metadata, the studies had to meet significant requirements for number of participants, use of the five Kinsey measurements for penis size, and reliability and validity. Some of their findings are below:
The measurements below are the 50th percentile measurement across studies with more than 15,000 participants:
Average length flaccid, not stretched = 3.228 inches
Average length flaccid, stretched = 4.722 inches
Average length erect = 4.75 inches
Girth, flaccid = 3.54 inches
Girth, erect = 4.33 inches
In an article by Boegart and Hershberger in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, researchers measured length and width of more than 5,000 men. They found on average, heterosexual men have larger penises than homosexual men. They suggest a number of reasons, including hormonal differences, that could account for this.
But does it really matter?
In an article published in BMC Women’s Health by Russell Eisenman (May 2001), he found that for 50 female undergraduates, width made a much greater difference than length of perceived sexual pleasure. Keep in mind, this is perceived pleasure, not pleasure measured during intercourse. The sample is also 50 female undergraduates, so age and sexual experience is only for a limited range of women.
Drummoned et al. found that gay men in Western cultures strongly associated penis size with masculinity in the direction of bigger meaning more masculine. Most men, especially younger gay men, were found to have the belief that “bigger is better” and it affected body image. Finally, gay men tended to believe racist stereotypes about penis size (e.g. Asians are small, Blacks are big).
Mautz et al., in an article published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that penis size influenced the perception of attractiveness. The effect of penis size on attractiveness was more substantial for taller men than shorter men. The study was done with heterosexual women.
What does all of this mean?
Sex and sexual attraction is largely psychological. In the West, we tend to believe bigger dicks and smaller waists are better. Most men are smaller than you believe after watching porn. And ladies, your girls are only a small part of what makes you sexy.
So there are some things to measure yourself against. While facts and science are fun, there is no need to worry about where you fall on the scale. Sex is ultimately about connection. There are thousands of ways to create connection and intimacy, regardless of your body parts. So, have some fun strutting out your new facts then go have some fun with your bits!
The next post will be about measuring your performance in bed!
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