Nearly two in three women have faked orgasms — and scientists have discovered some of the surprising reasons why.
Often shown as a lighthearted topic faking an orgasm has often been blamed of having a lacklustre lover.
But in the new study — a survey of more than 500 people aged 18-80 — scientists found this was far from the case.
The findings showed 64 per cent of women had faked an orgasm before, compared to 34 per cent of men.
As for the reasons why they do it, most common appeared to be due to the short length of the relationship.
The experts noted that those in longer term relationships were far less likely to fake it than those in shorter ones, likely due to feeling less comfortable to be honest about genuine feelings.
This theory was supported by the fact people who faked it were more likely to use sex toys frequently, and use them alone — rather than with their partner.
The non-fakers said sex toys were used as a shared tool.
Perhaps the most famous orgasm faker is Sally Albright, played by Meg Ryan in the 1989 classic, When Harry Met Sally.
A third of women said they didn’t fake it because they were ‘comfortable’ with not having an orgasm during sex — another sign of a loving and accepting relationship, the experts said.
In the study, published in The Journal of Sex Research, data was collected using an online survey conducted in 2022 across six European countries: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, France, and the United Kingdom.
Participants were asked questions about sexual orientation, relationship status, if they lived with their partners and whether they had children.
The survey revealed that just under half (49 per cent) of participants overall confessed to faking an orgasm.
The researchers also asked participants who admitted to faking orgasm in the past why they decided to stop doing it.
Exploring ways to achieve an orgasm on their own was the reason for 18 per cent of women stopped, in comparison to 19 per cent of men.
More men (12 per cent) than women (3 per cent) were more likely to stop because they were caught faking.
Interestingly, those who admitted to faking orgasms reported a lower satisfaction in their sexual relationships, compared to individuals who had never faked orgasms or had stopped faking.
The survey revealed that just under half (49 per cent) of participants confessed to faking an orgasm
However, this relationship was said to be barely significant.
The study authors suggested their findings highlight that orgasms aren’t necessarily needed to enjoy sex.
‘You do not need to have an orgasm to enjoy sex and feel pleasure,’ Study author, Silvia Pavan, a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen, told PsyPost.
She added there are likely a myriad of reasons for faking orgasms such as ‘because they just want the sex to end’, ‘because they want to excite and pleasure a partner’, or ‘to avoid upsetting a partner for not having an orgasm’.
Previous research from Bowling Green State and Elmhurst universities in the US found women who orgasm more frequently tend to be happier in their relationships.
The 2022 study included 175 heterosexual women who role-played a scenario in which they answered questions about an imaginary boyfriend named Michael.
While the study found that the frequency of orgasms had a strong bearing on a woman’s level of satisfaction in the relationship, it said nothing about how decent a partner the man was.
In other words, a man who can make their female partner climax is no more likely to be committed and loyal than someone who cannot.
