Penis Size Information

Posted in Magazine Departments

So what is normal penis size?  What is the average penis length?  We’ve looked at so many charts and graphs, read so many reports and studies… and still don’t have the definitive answer.  But this much we do know about penis size:

A recent study by Lifestyles Condom Company indicates that the average length of an erect penis is 5.87 inches.  This is slightly smaller than previous studies… most notably the Kinsey Study (from the Alfred C. Kinsey Institute for Sex Research) which concluded that the average erect penis length is between 6.2 to 6.4 inches (SEE GRAPH BELOW).  This measurement is taken from the point where the penis meets the body (at the pubic bone) all the way to the tip of the penis.

More studies produced diverse results.  Researchers from the University of California at San Francisco determined that the average erect size of the penis was 5.1 inches long and 4.9 inches in girth.  A Brazilian study found the average length to be 5.7 inches and 4.7 inches in girth.

On the bright side (if you feel that you’re “below average”), men whose penises are smaller when soft usually have a greater size increase than those with larger flaccid penises!  Penises vary in size and shape… some are longer, shorter, wider, thinner.  However, there is less variation among erect penises than among soft ones.

What about those infamous “penis myths”?  One common myth needs to be put to rest: penis size is almost entirely unrelated to height; hand, feet or nose size; or any of the other things you might have heard. Penis size is sort of like nose size — there are many very tall men with small noses and very short men with enormous ones. In reality, penis size is even less related to height than noses are. Size is determined purely by individual hereditary factors.

Penis size, penis size!  Men put such a high emphasis on its value.  The question is repeated over and over again… “Is Penis Size Important?”   It may depend on what specifically the penis is used for.  Many women prefer large ones for oral sex, medium ones for vaginal sex, and small ones for anal sex.  Which begs us to ask another question…. “Is penis size more important to you or to your lover”?

Perhaps the best observation we’ve found comes from J. Scott Verinis, writing in “Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality”.  Mr. Verinis says that penis size initially matters to both the male and the female.  “However, as the relationship progresses, the size of the penis becomes less important to most women, and factors such as the quality of sexual performance and the nature of the interpersonal relationship receive higher priority.”

Bottom line:  Penis size is important to some of the people all of the time and to all of the people some of the time…. but not to all of the people all of the time!