This has been a compelling, hypocritical, even ridiculous question for many men for decades. For a long time, men have been obsessed with their genital size, believing it to be a measure of sexual performance and skill. The myth had long since been shattered, and a recent, somewhat crazy scientific experiment has revealed something new about the relationship between penis size and sexual performance. This essay therefore lays out what the latter experiment is, and what it tells us about male sexuality and performance.
The Experiment
The experiment was carried out by a team of scientists at the University of Ottawa led by Dr Brian Mautz. This research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sought to study the association between male penis size and sexual performance. To do this, they recruited 105 men, all of whom were straight and had already had at least one sexual partner.
The men were instructed to defrock and present themselves before a trio of judges who would measure the length and width of their weak and erect penises. The judges took a customised caliper, which measured the length of the penis from root to tip, and a thin strip of tape to check the circumference at its widest part. They asked the men to complete a survey about their sexual histories and behaviour.
Once measurements were made and questionnaires filled out, the team examined the information for evidence of an association between penis size and sexual performance. They also compared it to the earlier work done on the subject.
Findings
The experiment yielded surprising findings, to say the least. The researchers discovered a clear association between the size of the penis and sexual performance. That is, bigger penises led to greater sexual satisfaction, orgasms, and a higher degree of sexual confidence among men. They also tended to participate in a broader variety of sexual behaviours, and were less likely to experience sexual disorders like erectile dysfunction.
Surprisingly, the researchers also found a stronger correlation between flaccid and erect penis sizes. That means that the size we believe the penis is is more important to sexual performance and satisfaction than the actual size of the penis when it is fully up.
Implications
The ramifications of this experiment are broad and perhaps revolutionary. Although past research has revealed little relationship between penis size and sexual performance, this experiment reveals convincing evidence that the size of the penis does indeed affect sexual performance. This might have far-reaching consequences for men who are uncomfortable with the size of their genitals and for the development of therapies for sexual performance.
The most compelling conclusion to draw from this experiment is the chance of a placebo effect. The larger the penises, the researchers said, the more sexually confident they felt, which may help their sexual performance irrespective of their actual size. Which implies that our assumptions about the size of our penis can directly affect our sexual experiences.
Other science-fiction experiments with penis size and performance.
The ‘Locker Room Effect’
In the early 2000s, a group at the University of Texas tested whether penis size was correlated with sexual performance. Researchers asked 50 men to rate their own penis size and sexual performance. They found that the longer the penis, the greater the sexual confidence and satisfaction of men. More interesting, however, was the study’s ‘locker room effect’. They discovered that men who thought they had a larger penis, whether they actually did or not, also had more sexual confidence and satisfaction.
Such a ‘locker room effect’ implies that a man’s judgment about the size of his own penis can dramatically influence his sexual behaviour. It also emphasizes the centrality of self-esteem to sexual performance, rather than the size of the penis itself.
The ‘Small Penis Syndrome’
Another 2013 paper from researchers at the University of California investigated the psychological influence of penis size on sex performance. They looked at 45 men with an average (below-average) penis size of 4.8 inches. They had them complete a series of exercises – from solving puzzles to speaking in public – while measuring their heart rate and anxiety. The study showed that small-pence men had higher levels of anxiety and performed worse on the tasks than larger-pence men.
This research lends support to a psychological condition called ‘small penis syndrome’ whereby small penis men develop anxiety and low self-esteem that impair their sexual performance.
The ‘Goldilocks Rule’
One paper in the Journal of Sexual Medicine in 2015 called for the ‘Goldilocks rule’, which holds that there’s a sweet spot for optimal sexual performance. The authors questioned 105 women about their sexual experiences with penises of different sizes. The study revealed that female participants expressed the most enjoyment and satisfaction when their partners’ penis was about 6.3 inches long and 4.8 inches wide. But when the penis size was smaller than, or smaller than, this range, women found it less enjoyable and satisfying.
According to this research, the right size may lie in a spectrum of good sexual performance, and a bigger penis doesn’t mean that you have better sex, at least not for women.
The ‘Size Matters’ Myth
Perhaps the best-known study of penis size and function was performed in 2015 by scientists at Kings College London. Researchers placed 41 men with an average penis 5 inches in size into two groups. A pair was treated with a penis extender device for six months, while the other received no intervention. The findings indicated that the men who used the extender device did not see a substantial penis increase, but had increased sexual satisfaction and confidence.
This study debunks the conventional wisdom that the bigger your penis the better your sex. And it tells us, too, that the ‘size matters’ myth is a fiction.
Conclusion:
We conclude, in short, that, from these bizarre science experiments, the relationship between penis size and sexual performance is not as intuitive as some might suppose. While some research shows that having a larger penis enhances performance, others focus on self-esteem and mental health. These experiments also call for ending the stigma and pressure that many men experience over penis size because it undermines their self-esteem, and consequently sex performance. No, everyone is different, and you don’t want to quantify sexual performance by the size of your penis.
