Study: Most women fake orgasms- but why?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Women's fake screams of ecstasy in bed may have less to do with trying to protect the sensitive egos of their partners, and more to do with a gal's own personal insecurities and fear of intimacy, new research suggests.

Approximately 60 percent of women have faked an orgasm during intercourse or oral sex, according to Erin Cooper of Temple University, who has been studying these women to figure out why.

"This is something that we talk about happening in popular culture, in the movies and magazines," Cooper told LiveScience. "We know that this is pretty prevalent in our culture, but we don't know much about it from a scientific standpoint. That to me is a real catastrophe."

The problem isn't limited to women, either. About 25 percent of males admit they've faked an orgasm.

Cooper presented her work here in a poster session at the Association for Psychological Science annual meeting on May 27.

Why fake it?

Cooper surveyed 366 females ages 18 to 32 who had indicated they endorse faking orgasms, about their sexual habits, their reasons for faking it during a past relationship and their feelings about intimacy.

Many of these women said they faked it due to their own fear of intimacy; they also reported faking orgasm because they felt insecure about their sexual functioning, or because they want to get it over with.

There was also a small group of participants who did it to enhance their own sexual experience. "This small subset of women who are faking orgasm for the purposes of increasing their own arousal, actually have higher levels of sexual satisfaction," Cooper said. "So, maybe we should not be questioning their strategy; it's one of many tools in their toolboxes for having a positive sexual experience."

Intimacy of all kinds

For the intimacy-challenged gals, faking it could be a means of keeping a guy at arm's length, Cooper suggests. And if they're embarrassed about their sexual savvy, pretending to have an orgasm is a simple way to save their own egos.

"Women who have a hard time getting close to other people on an emotional level it seems now are also having a hard time getting close to other people on a sexual level," Cooper said. "They are having a hard time across the board, and may be very much in need of intervention to help them out in another domain.  This could either be the cause or the symptom; we don't know enough about it yet."

Women who might seek to quickly end sexual intercourse might do so because they have difficulty allowing others to get close to them; they could feel disconnected from their partner or the sexual experience and might not be able to derive pleasure from sex, Cooper said.

These reasons can have a negative effect on relationships, even outside the bedroom. Increased communication and work to bolster trust and intimacy could help these women overcome their need to fake it in the bedroom.

[wyldredhead]

Maybe their partner is a 2 pump chump like my ex that doesn't like to give oral.

[dresia]

well, I faked mine because of insercurities about him which turned out to be true in the end, and, and he could, or didn't do what it took to give me that thrill. So, just like MalloryDavis mentioned, giving up on men, I haven't given up completely, but I'm truly and very happy being single without anyone in my life. God delivered me before it was too late. All the **** people are catching, the mess isn't funny. I'm free from all the lying, cheating games they play. I will stay delivered too.

[freemarlie]

I don't see how a guy can fake an orgasm. From my experience, you either shoot your cream or you don't. When you don't, you're not fooling anyone.

[markag55]

As a gay man, it's rather hard (no pun intended) to fake an orgasm, though it's easy to add more dramatic verbal effects, if that's what one wants to do. As someone who is approaching 59 and in a relationship (now a marriage due to the two months it was legal in California) for 20 years, I often use a surfing analogy. Sometimes the waves are high and I can ride that surf to an exhilarating orgasm. At other times, I just tell my spouse that I lost the wave. And, at other times, I may fail on the first wave, but can ride another (sometimes through fantasy) through to orgasm. After 20 years, however, it's easy to tell if an orgasm is "deep" or if it is simply on the surface. Either way, after 20 years together, sometimes you get a surf you can ride, while at other times, you just don't. I've often stated to my spouse that "I've lost the wave." No harm, no blame. It just wasn't meant to be. However, if it rarely happens (or never happens), there might be either a physical or psychological cause behind it. Everyone is different. My sexual philosophy (it's not a 101 class, though it should be) is that it either works or doesn't. Again, no harm, no blame.

[dnamj]

I think it's legit to just say you've had enough. Sometimes you are just not going to get off. Too tired, have a backache, just started thinking about something else, whatever. It's not the end of the world, there's going to be another time. Besides that, to define sexual satisfaction as all about the orgasm is so typically performance-oriented, and goal driven. Getting there should be at least half the fun.

[-LiftingSkirts-]

by Lawyers-Guns-n-Money06 June 8, 2011 12:01 PM EDT
""A few months ago I was...""
_____________



""He thinks it's at the bottom."" lmao - taint there!!!

Delores - laughin' s'more...

you pronounce it funnilly. it's klitter us, not kli TORE us.

Zero calories but oh so satisfying...

[rf35]

Checking the dictionary, either pronunciation is acceptable.

[OrangeCountyCalif]

Because 99% of women are man-hating lesbians.

[-LiftingSkirts-]

Awwwhh

They just hate you. You might want to try being loveable. Snuggle... be sweet... Kiss gently... then hit it hard... try it!

[Zann-Zel]

looks like this thread could be educational for some! ; )

[voxpopulus]

Judging by how much some of you seem to dislike the opposite gender, it's not surprising a lot of faking is going on.

[James93x]

Most climax reactions by women were authentic, in my experience. Straight men look for it, but gay men are not interested in it happening.

[Turbidite]

I kept trying but I couldn't get past the sentence that contains, "...it's one of many tools in their toolboxes for having a positive sexual experience."
Are you a sitcom writer, Jen?