Is Your Man Faking It? 1 in 3 Men Pretend to Climax During Sex

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Feb 21, 2013 02:29 PM EST

It's not just women who know how to bluff, according to a new sex study that revealed that a third of men have faked an orgasm.

However, the study, published in the Journal of Sex Research, finds that women still do if far more often, with nearly 7 in 10 women admitting to having faked an orgasm.

"The idea that women 'fake' orgasms is familiar, but the idea that men 'fake' orgasms is not. Many people regard such pretending by men as almost impossible," researchers wrote.

The findings from the study is clear, both men and women fake orgasms. Researchers from the University of Kansas found that 68 percent of women and 28 percent of men have pretended to climax with their partner.

So why do men and women fake orgasm? Researchers found that both men and women admitted to faking it because they felt like their partner's orgasm was imminent so they felt pressured to "climax".

Other commonly reported reasons for pretending were that people felt bored and that orgasm was unlikely or that they wanted sex to end without hurting their partner's feelings.

The study included 281 male and female college students. Researchers questioned participants about their sexual habits.

The findings indicate that both men and women reported faking orgasms because they felt like they were under too much pressure to enjoy real sex. While this may not be so much of a problem for women, this was a particular problem for men.

"The emphasis on men's erections and ability to give their partners "earth-shaking" orgasms sometimes leads both women and men to pretend orgasm to meet these expectations," researchers wrote.

According to the Daily Mail, sex expert Tracey Cox of the online erotic retailer Lovehoney said that some women feel obliged to orgasm so they fake it.

"Some women may feel they need to provide evidence that they're enjoying themselves," adding that some women may also pretend to climax because they find it difficult to orgasm from penetrative sex alone.

In 2012, researchers at Columbia University found that women pretend to climax as a form of "mate-guarding" behavior to prevent their partners from cheating. Another study in 2011 suggested that women faked orgasm because they were insecure and had a fear of intimacy.

But if faking orgasm means being loud and noisy, then you're in luck. A recent study conducted at Leeds University found that couples who were noisy the bedroom reported having a better sex life. The study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior found that there is a direct correlation between expressing enjoyment to enhanced pleasure. This was particularly true for women who felt that when their partners expressed pleasure audibly, it reassured them about the quality of their performance. 

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