Does Penis Size or Width Make a Difference in Female Sexual Satisfaction?

Process

To learn the effect of penis width vs. length on female sexual satisfaction, 50 sexually active female undergraduate students were asked which felt better, i. e., was penis width or length more significant for their sexual pleasure.

Nobody reported they did not know, or that width and length were likewise satisfying. A great majority, 45 of 50, reported width was more essential (p < .001).

Implications are discussed, including the information that the data seem to contradict Masters and Johnson about penis size having no physiological effect on female sexual satisfaction.

Background

When people speak of penis size, they normally refer to length. As a result, a man with a short but wide penis would most likely think of himself as having a small penis, and would be so considered of by others, too. Though, width is part of size, while typically not acknowledged. Does width add to female sexual satisfaction? Is length more significant? Or, maybe size is not linked to female sexual enjoyment.
The well-known sex researchers Masters and Johnson have concluded that size of the male penis can have no true physiological effect on female sexual satisfaction. They base this conclusion on their physiological studies that prove that the vagina adapts to fit the size of the penis. For the reason of this vaginal adaptation, they refer to the vagina as a potential space more willingly than an actual space.

Therefore, in spite of the worries of many males about the size of their penis, Masters and Johnson concluded that any size penis will fit and give sufficient sexual stimulation to the female. The present research was conducted to see if female college students would report their sexual satisfaction related to penis length, width, or neither.

Method

To check the notion of the likely importance of length vs. width and female sexual satisfaction, two male undergraduate college students - equally popular athletes on campus - surveyed 50 female undergraduate college students, considered by the two males to be sexually active, based on the males' prior social knowledge of the females.

The female students varied in age from 18 to 25 years old. Personally or via telephone, the females were asked "In having sex, which feels better, length of penis or width of penis?" In half the cases, the word "width" was used prior to the word "length," but there were no order effects. There were also no effects for telephone vs. individual interview. All female participants answered the question, perhaps since they knew the student asking the question.

Outcomes and Discussion

Of the 50 females surveyed, 45 reported that width felt better, with only 5 reporting length felt better (chi square = 32.00, df = 1, p < .001). No females reported that they could not tell any divergence. Some did report that sex in a relationship was better than sex with no obligation.

Masters and Johnson have said that penis size should have no physiological effect on female sexual pleasure, since the vagina adapts to fit the size of the penis. The existing results call this conclusion into question, and point to the significance of penis width. Still, Masters and Johnson could be right if the present subjects are only reporting their psychological preference, and not showing a true physiological preference. In other words, the current study exclusively assessed females' perceived level of sexual satisfaction, which may vary from real physiological arousal and satisfaction.

It is not clear why a wide penis would be preferred to a long penis, but assumption would suggest the following. Penis width may be vital due to a penis thick at the base providing better clitoral stimulation as the male thrusts into the female during sexual intercourse. That is, a wide penis would seem to offer a bigger degree of contact with the outer part of the vagina, including the clitoral area. If this is accurate, then Masters and Johnson are mistaken about penis size being unconnected, physiologically, to female sexual satisfaction. Masters, Johnson, and Kolodny do not completely rule out penis size being relevant, but they propose that it is possible of minor significance for female sexual satisfaction. One more likelihood is that a wider penis offers the woman with a bigger feeling of fullness, which is psychologically, and perhaps physiologically, satisfying.

More study on sex is needed to appreciate the various influences on sexual attitudes and behavior, including how attitudes influence behavior, if, actually, they do. Diverse samples could be studied, as well as using unlike methods of examination. One might have women rank order different aspects of sexual satisfaction, including such items as physical attractiveness of the partner, romantic feelings, love, and other things, as well as penis size. This would give an understanding of where the diverse attributes rank in women's stated preferences. But, width vs. length deserves study.

Conclusion

Women stated that penis width was more essential for their sexual satisfaction than penis length. The outcomes were statistically significant. Penis width needs to be given more concern, and taken into account when one discusses penis size. As well, it may be that Masters and Johnson were mistaken about penis size having small or no physiological effect on women's sexual satisfaction.

Yet, the present data cannot supply an ultimate answer, because they are based on self reports of women surveyed about penis length vs. width, and their sexual satisfaction. The results reflect either a psychological favorite or a true physiological reality, but we cannot say which, with the present technique that was employed.