The
average American man's penis is 5.6 inches (14.2 centimeters) long when erect,
a new survey of 1,661 men finds.
The
study, published online July 10 in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, is
relatively consistent with the results of prior surveys of penis size.
Penis
size has been the subject of dozens of studies, as well as countless urban
legends, myths and spam emails. For many men, the idea of not measuring up can
cause a great deal of anxiety.
But
whether penis size truly matters to a man's sex partner is up for debate. Some
research shows that women who experience vaginal orgasms do so more
consistently with men of bigger girth.
Other
work suggests bigger isn't always better: One study found that ideal penis size
depends on a person's height, and another showed that girth matters more than
length to most women.
Consistent
findings
In the
new study, Debby Herbenick, a researcher at Indiana University, and her
colleagues asked 1,661 men to measure their penis's length and girth for the
purposes of fitting for a condom. (The men submitted their data online.) At the
time of their measurement, some men were with partners or "a friend,"
although most employed a DIY method for attaining an erection.
Not
surprisingly, penises come in all shapes and sizes. The smallest erect penis in
the study was about 1.6 inches (4 cm) long, and the largest was 10.2 inches (26
cm) long.
The
average penile girth was about 4.8 inches (12.2 cm).
Moreover,
all erections are not created equal, the study also found. Different methods of
obtaining an erection may lead to different size measurements — men in the
study who became aroused through oral sex reported larger penis size on average
than those who attained erections through fantasizing, Herbenick said.
"We
don't know if that means that when men have oral sex that it's more arousing
and they get a bigger erection, or means that men who have bigger penises could
be getting more oral sex in the first place," Herbenick told LiveScience.
The
study was part of a larger research project dealing with condom fitting. The
condom company Richter Rubber Technology of Kedah, Malaysia provided condoms to
participants.
Past
measurements
The
study found that other characteristics of a man, such as his race or
orientation, weren't good predictors of his member's size.
Male
penis size is well-charted terrain in studies, Herbenick said. Now, she'd like
to gather data on female genitalia.
"It
would be good for women to have good data to show, 'Hey, there's a lot of
diversity for women's genitals, just like there are for men's," Herbenick
said.
Article source: live science website
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