Most women fake orgasms – but their reasons for doing so vary, study finds

Fake it until you make it doesn’t apply here.

A new study has revealed why women are more likely than men to fake an orgasm – and why they won’t last forever.

Researchers analyzed data submitted by 11,541 respondents from six European countries to determine who fakes orgasm and why.

The findings, published in the Journal of Sex Research, show that around 13% of men and women were currently faking orgasms, 28% had done so before but had since stopped and 51% had avoided the erotic ploy.

Among the two sexes, however, women were more likely to claim climax.

Of the respondents who currently fake orgasm, only 8.59% were men while 18.11% were women. For those who had in the past, the split was 18.74% of men vs. 34.41% of women. Of the 51% of people who claimed to have never faked an orgasm, 65.79% were men and 36.41% were women.

“We found that being female, being gay, having more lifetime sexual partners, and having children were associated with higher odds of faking orgasm,” the researchers wrote.

They also found that a person’s relationship status and whether or not they had a sex toy also played a role in playing a satisfied lover.

People who were in an open relationship were more likely to have ever faked orgasms compared to those in longer relationships, and those who relied frequently on toys were more likely to cheat on their partner in bed.

The researchers noted that those who faked orgasms were less satisfied with their relationship status, sex life and life in general than those who had given up the game.

“We found that faking orgasms was associated with lower sexual, relationship and life satisfaction. Combined with the results that about 40% of the sample had faked it at some point in their lives, this suggests that faking orgasm deserves research attention for its potential implications for people’s happiness and well-being,” study author Silvia Pavan, a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen told Medical Xpress.

When asked why they had stopped faking, both men and women reported increased and improved communication with their partners and the development of a more satisfying sexual relationship.

However, men who stopped faking were more likely to have fixed the problem or stopped having sex altogether, while women mostly resigned themselves to a life without orgasm, no longer feeling the need to fake it.

Previous research has described female orgasms as “biologically elusive,” which may explain why some women — and their partners — are more likely to give up trying.

“We believe that when it comes to experiencing pleasure with a partner, transparent communication with them is key,” Pavan told PsyPost.

“When you look at the reasons why people stopped faking an orgasm, the main reason for stopping was to be more comfortable not having one, indicating a change in perspective about expectations of sex and the experience of pleasure.”

“Also, telling their partner what their desires and preferences are and having a partner who responds to those desires and preferences were cited as reasons for stopping, indicating that transparent and active communication between the two individuals was essential. .

Orgasms are good for one’s mental health and have previously been found to improve physical health too – but sex isn’t about the big bottom line.

A shocking recent study identified three factors that contribute to “great sex.”