Recently published research in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science, explores the question of women faking orgasms or sexual pleasure.

It is an important question, because when men are told that they need to understand women’s desire better, a fair few of them respond with the protest, ‘but women often fake it.’

The interesting question is not whether or not women are faking it, but rather, if they are then what might be their motivation. It clearly does not improve the probability of greater sexual pleasure in the future if there is such misrepresentation.

The research suggests a connection between perceived fragility of the man’s masculinity and the woman’s propensity to fake it.

The more confident the man comes across in his masculinity, the lesser the probability that the woman would fake it, in other words.

The study, “Do Women Withhold Honest Sexual Communication When They Believe Their Partner’s Manhood is Threatened?“, was authored by Jessica A. Jordan, Joseph A. Vandello, Martin Heesacker, and Dylan M. Larson-Konar.

According to Jordan, the study found that women go through a chain reaction upon encountering obvious signs of fragile masculinity, that leads up to withholding of honest sexual feedback.

We believe this is very important research—and indeed there should be deeper enquiry—for men looking to become better lovers. Creating an environment conducive to honest feedback from one’s partner has to be Step I in the journey.