Life

This Is The Perfect "Size" For A Relationship

by Kristine Fellizar

So what is the perfect penis size? It’s just one of those many questions that have plagued society since the beginning of time, but like anything else — the ideal size varies from person to person. To some women, it may seem to be less about length and more about girth, while others will openly admit to having size preferences. And, as studies have found, seven out of eight women are actually quite happy with the size of their man’s penis. Now, to add more confusion into the whole penis size debate, a new study came out revealing the women's penis size preferences. In this case, when it comes to size, context matters.

In the study published by PLOS One, researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Mexico took a 3-D printer and printed 33 models of different-sized penises in order to find out what women believe was an "acceptable" penis size. According to researchers, the idea behind having the 3-D printed phalluses would help women more accurately recall size as previous studies have typically relied on “abstract ratings or selecting amongst 2-D, flaccid images.” Additionally, researchers also wanted to see whether penis size preferences changed between one-night stands and long-term relationships.

In order to conduct their study, asked 75 women to select which of the 33 penises would be ideal for a one-night stand. Then, they asked them to pick another for a long-term relationship. Women were also asked to fill out questionnaires, which had questions about size preferences, their sexual history, and their current sexual functioning (i.e. ease of lubrication, orgasm rates, and intercourse pain, if any).

In order to make sure the women were certain of their choices, researchers had them complete a 10-minute computer task in order to assess the memory recall of their penis picks. As it was found, the women were able to recall the size of the 3-D models well. However, they were actually better at remembering the correct girth than the correct length. So, maybe length really isn’t that big of a deal after all.

“One possible explanation is that women care more about circumference, so they may attend to it more,” researchers said in the study.

While some may feel that bigger is always better, that wasn’t necessarily the case for the women in the study. In fact, many women actually associated larger penises as those more likely to be infected with STDs. So, what is the perfect one-night stand penis versus the long-term relationship one?

One Night Stand: 6.4 Inches Long With A Circumference Of 5.0 Inches

When it comes to casual encounters, size was definitely more important. According to the study, “Novelty itself contributes to pleasure, so seeking a more novel-sized penis may be consistent with a goal to pursue pleasure primarily in one-time partners.”

Long-Term Partner: 6.4 Inches Long With A Circumference Of 4.8 Inches

As the study suggests, women may prefer smaller penises in long-term partners for reasons such as physical comfort and a preference for less masculinity.

“Given that women typically experience more pleasurable and orgasmic sex in longer-term relationships, they might prefer a larger penis for short-term sex—partly so the increased physical sensation compensates for the reduced psychological connection,” researchers said in the study.

Earlier this year, a study conducted at Kings College London Medical School found that the average length of an erect penis is 5.17 inches with a circumference of 4.59 inches. Overall, it’s safe to say that while women tend to be happy with whatever size their partner is, they would prefer it if he were at least above average.

Want more of Bustle's Sex and Relationships coverage? Check out our latest video on sex positions for small penises:

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