Every man wants to know whether his penis is a normal size. But what exactly is normal anyway? It’s rare that a penis is considered too small or too big by a woman. Yes, 85% of women are actually satisfied with their partner’s penis, but the guys themselves less so (55%).
Almost half of men (45%) believe their penis is too small, yet a study of 15,000 men found that the average size of the flaccid penis was 9.16 cm and that of an erect penis was 13.12 cm. These are averages though. In reality, penis size varies by around 3 cm either end of the estimates. If you want to find out how to measure your penis, read our article here.
"What's interesting is, when you look at the curves, you see that most penises actually are fairly similar in size," explains Dr. Abraham Morgentaler, a urologist, and Director of Men’s Health Boston. "You really have to go to the extremes — the top or bottom 5% or 10% — to really see some big differences. And truthfully, in my practice, I would say that's exactly right. Most men have penises roughly the same size."
Looking to get a penis enlargement? Not so fast. Research by the Department of Urology at the University of California School of Medicine, suggests that only men with a flaccid length below 4cm or an erect length of less than 7.5 cm should even be considered for penis lengthening.
According to an analysis that pooled over 20 research studies, combining the responses from over 15,000 men, the average flaccid circumference was 9.3 cm and erect circumference was 11.7 cm. For women, girth tends to be a little more important (32%) than length (21%), but female preference for a partner’s penis varies depending on relationship status. For long-term relationships, the size was less important to women than for short flings.
If you still think that size matters, research by the Department of Psychiatry, University of California Los Angeles, may leave you wondering whom it matters to. The researchers asked women to pick their preferred penis sizes by showing them 3D printed models of 33 different sizes. Dimensions of erect penis models ranged from 10.2 cm to 21.6 cm in length and 6.4 cm to 17.7 cm for girth. The majority of women preferred a penis size that was just slightly above average.
Men with a high body mass index (BMI) or those who are obese sometimes complain about a small penis. But it’s often nothing more than an optical illusion. Heavily obese men may not be seeing their penis because their stomach blocks the view. One study of 778 men in Saudi Arabia found that the correlation between penis length and BMI was weak at best. Another research paper did not find a correlation between flaccid or erect penis size and BMI in 2276 men.