The Top 10 Most-Read Questions and Answers on Sex and Psychology

What do people want to know about sex?

Here are the ten most read question-and-answer articles of all time on the blog. These questions (all submitted by readers of Sex and Psychology) span a wide range of topics. Many of them fall under the category of “What’s normal when it comes to sex?”  However, others reflect curiosity about diverse sexual practices, as well as interest in better understanding sexual health and safety.

10. How deep is the average vagina? (There’s limited research on this subject, but the work I’ve read suggests that the average vaginal depth is a little shorter than the average penis length, which may explain why penis girth tends to be regarded as more important than penis length by most women who have sex with men.)

9. I want to watch my wife sleep with someone else. Is that normal? (As I’ve found in my own research, this is a very common sexual fantasy among men of all orientations—and many women fantasize about watching their partners have sex with other people, too. For a detailed look at the science of cuckolding, check out this article or listen to this podcast episode.)

8. Is deeper penetration better? (Research finds that most women say deep penetration either does not affect their likelihood of orgasm, or actually decreases it. However, some women report that deep penetration does increase their odds of orgasm, in part, because it may provide stimulation of the cervix—an organ that has historically been unacknowledged in women’s sexual pleasure).

7. How often do married couples have sex? (There’s a lot of variability in sexual frequency, and how often people have sex depends a lot on age, which means there isn’t one “right” or “correct” sexual frequency for everyone. It’s also important to note that more isn’t always better when it comes to sex and, as we get older, quality of sex tends to become far more important than quantity.)

6. Does penis size actually affect female pleasure? (For some women, it does. However, a majority of women report that penis size makes no difference in their odds of reaching orgasm through penile-vaginal intercourse.)

5. Is rimming safe? (Just like any other sexual activity, oral stimulation of the anus carries some potential health risks—however, there are also ways to make this practice safer.) 

4. Why are so many straight men into trans porn? (This is a very common sexual interest among men and, contrary to popular belief, most cisgender men who are attracted to transwomen are not gay.) 

3. Do women enjoy anal sex? (Many women enjoy anal intercourse, and studies find that this is an increasingly common sexual activity practiced by persons of all genders and orientations. Although it didn’t make the top 10 list this time around, many readers have also been curious about how to make anal sex more pleasurable.) 

2.Is swallowing bad for your health? (Swallowing semen does not pose any known health risks, assuming the person providing the semen is free of STDs and the person swallowing it doesn’t have a semen allergy.) 

1. Injaculation: Is it dangerous for guys to prevent ejaculation during orgasm? (Short answer: probably not. There isn’t a single scientific source to my knowledge suggesting that this practice causes problems. In fact, this is actually a common and quite successful technique used among men who are trying to learn better ejaculatory control in order to last longer in bed—a practice known colloquially as “edging.”)

For more Q&A’s on Sex and Psychology, click here. To send in a question, click here.

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology ? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook (facebook.com/psychologyofsex), Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit (reddit.com/r/psychologyofsex) to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Image Source: Photo by Roman Khripkov on Unsplash