Research To Determine Average Penile
Size
The question of penis size
and possibly more specifically, what is considered to be average intrigues
most men at some point or other in their lives. Whilst sexologists continually
emphasize that penis size ranks fairly low on most women's lists of physical
attributes, men nevertheless generally consider the size of their penis to be
a fundamental measure of masculinity and ability to sexually satisfy a
partner. Indeed, there is no doubt penile size can have a significant impact
upon levels of self-esteem and confidence. The belief of 'not measuring up' or
having a smaller than 'average' penis can result in feelings of both
inadequacy and anxiety.
Many scientific studies have
attempted to determine average penis size. Interestingly, although conclusions
have not differed substantially, results have tended to vary to some degree.
Often, the results of surveys have been based on data gathered from men who
measured themselves. In these cases, inaccuracies have often arisen due to
incorrect self-measurement or a tendency to exaggerate penis size. Studies
that have used medical staff to accurately measure erect penis size have often
suffered because conclusions have been based on measurements taken from a
small sample of men.
Although the above
difficulties do exist, it is still possible however, to gain a fairly accurate
idea of what is considered 'average'.
One of the most famous and
exhaustive studies conducted into penis size was performed by Alfred C. Kinsey
and his associates in 1948 using data collected from 3500 college males.
Recent analysis of the Kinsey data concluded that mean erect length of the
3500 subjects measured 6.21 inches with a standard deviation of 0.77 inches
whilst mean erect circumference measured 4.85 inches with a 0.71 inch standard
deviation.
According to the same survey and analysis, mean flaccid length measured 3.89
inches with a 0.73 inch standard deviation whilst flaccid circumference
measured a mean of 3.75 inches with a standard deviation of 0.65 inches.
In all test subjects erect penile length measurements were taken from along
the top of the penile shaft from the pubic area to the tip whilst
circumference measurements were taken from around the middle of the penis.
Whilst the Kinsey data provides invaluable insight into average penile length
and girth, it should be noted that results were based on data gathered from
men who measured themselves. Volunteers simply held postcards against their
penises, marked length against the card and posted the results. It is
therefore debatable as to how accurate many of these measurements were.
Furthermore, only white Caucasian males were included in the survey and as
such the results were not representative of a diversity of races.
Several condom manufacturers
have conducted more recent research into penis size in an attempt to provide
better fitting products. Of particular interest are the surveys conducted by Durex
and Lifestyles Condoms.
Durex'
recent Internet based survey gathered data from 2,936 men from 27 different
countries across all five continents. The bulk of respondents (39%) were in
the United States, whilst 9% lived in the UK, 7% in Canada and 4% in the
Netherlands. Unfortunately, again the overwhelming majority of respondents
were white and it was therefore impossible to break down data by ethnic
origin.
The Durex survey concluded that out of all those who responded, average erect
penile length measured 6.4 inches with a standard deviation of 1.1 inches
whilst average erect circumference measured 5.2 inches at the widest point of
the penis with a standard deviation of 0.8 inches.
Although the research sample of men was sizeable, again the accuracy of the
raw data could not be verified. As with the Kinsey report, results were based
on data gathered through self-measurement. Furthermore, the entire study was
conducted anonymously via the Internet.
In an attempt to obtain far
more accurate and 'unbiased' measurement data, Lifestyles
Condoms recently conducted their own survey during Spring 2001 in Cancun,
Mexico using a far more strict measurement methodology.
A total of 301 subjects, over the age of 18 were measured, one at a time, by
qualified medical staff. Most of the sample consisted of U.S. College students
although participation was not limited to this group. To ensure accuracy,
measurements of erect size were taken by two out of a team of four nurses
supervised at all times by a doctor. As with the above studies, erect penile
length was measured along the top of the penis from the pubic area to the tip
of the glans whilst erect circumference measurements were taken from around
the middle of the penile shaft.
The results of the Lifestyles
study indicated that average penis size was less than previously assumed and
determined that erect length averaged 5.877 inches with a standard deviation
of 0.825 inches whilst erect girth averaged 4.972 inches with a standard
deviation of 0.508 inches. Furthermore, according to the survey, 54% of
subjects measured between 5.5 inches and 6.3 inches in erect length with
53.33% measuring between 4.725 inches and 5.118 inches in circumference.
It would appear that subjects
do indeed exaggerate measurements when permitted to measure themselves and
this therefore, throws into doubt the results of any survey based on
self-measurement data. Other studies into penile size that used strict
measurement methods have also suggested that average erect penis length is
less than the 6.2 - 6.4 inches often concluded by studies relying on
self-measurement procedures.
Similar results to those
achieved by the Lifestyles study were recently reported by a Brazilian
urologist who accurately measured 150 subjects and determined average erect
length to be 5.7 inches and average circumference to be 4.7 inches.
In conclusion, considering
all the above data, it would seem fair to suggest that the 'average' erect
penis measures between 5.5 and 6.5 inches in length and between 4.5 and 5.5
inches in circumference. It would appear that well over 50% of men in any
given population fall within these figures. Whilst a wide diversity of sizes
will occur in any given sample, the percentage of men reporting a certain size
diminishes rapidly the further away from the above averages one gets. Taking
an example from the Kinsey data to illustrate, whilst 17% of the 3500 men
studied reported an erect length or 7 inches or above, only 1.8% of men
reported an erect length of 8 inches or over.
