Indiana University study reveals average male penis size
A new research study from Indiana University was published online last week in the Journal of Sexual Medicine entitled “Erect Penile Length and Circumference Dimensions of 1,661 Sexually Active Men in the United States.” Finally putting to bed the age-old question of women everywhere: “Well, what’s average?”
A new research study from Indiana University was published online last week in the Journal of Sexual Medicine entitled "Erect Penile Length and Circumference Dimensions of 1,661 Sexually Active Men in the United States." Finally putting to bed the age-old question of women everywhere: "Well, what's average?"
The researchers didn't whip out the tape measure themselves; instead they relied on men to report their penis size. We know what you're thinking: These dudes totally lied — but unlike previous studies of self-reported penis size, the guys had good reason to report accurate data, according to Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., M.P.H of PsychologyToday.com:
We were using their size data to match them to a condom that was sized to fit their erect penis. If they reported a bigger-than-reality size to us, they would get a baggier condom. If they reported a smaller-than-reality size to us, the condom would be too tight.
So what exactly were the findings? Drum roll, please! The researchers found that the average erect length of the penis is 14.15 cm (5.6 inches), with an average erect circumference of 12.23 cm (4.8 inches). Of the men in the study, lengths ranged from 4 to 26 centimeters erect.
The most surprising finding of the study is that not all erections are created equally. Herbenick and her team found that men who received oral sex as part of the measurement process reported a greater erect length than did some other men. However, the researchers could not determine the reason behind that from this particular data set.
In Herbenick's pervious research, she found that ultimately, size doesn't matter:
Research on sexual satisfaction tends to suggest that other factors (such as intimacy, affection, and psychological connection) are more important than a person's genital size. That doesn't mean that genital size is never important to some people, but it does suggest that human qualities are among the more important aspects of human sexuality.