How Many Men Are Turned On By Nipple Stimulation?

Today, we’re answering more of your questions! A reader recently asked whether there’s any science that can explain why men might find stimulation of their nipples to be sexually pleasurable. Here’s what they said:

“Are you aware of any studies on male nipple arousal? For some reason, I have extremely sensitive nipples, to the point that they become the focus of my masturbation activity to the exclusion of penile stimulation. In most of my masturbation activity, my nipples have been the focal point or involved. I have been unable to locate much research on the topic. I am curious if my unique experience is due to biological reasons (just my physical body), hormonal, or more learned/conditioning, or a combination of the three.”

While there aren’t a ton of studies out there on this topic, surveys have found that many men do enjoy having their nipples stimulated, so if this is something that turns you on, you’re definitely not alone!

How Many Men Find Nipple Stimulation Arousing?

A few years back, we posted an infographic of a study regarding how young adults feel about having their nipples stimulated (Levin 2006). It turns out that over 50% of the men in this study reported that nipple stimulation caused sexual arousal. In addition, 40% of men said that nipple play enhanced their arousal if they were already turned on. While the numbers for women were substantially higher, it’s clear that a heck of lot of guys seem to find this activity to be arousing.

However, it’s worth noting that a fair number of men who enjoy this seem to feel some degree of shame around it, given that nearly 20% of men said they were too afraid to ask their partners to stimulate their nipples during sexual activity.

Why is Nipple Play Arousing?

In a recent study, researchers used fMRI technology to map men’s sexual response to self-stimulation of various body parts, including the penis, testicles, scrotum, rectum, nipples, and more (Allen et al., 2020). The key finding that emerged related to nipple stimulation was that stimulating the male nipple activates the same region of the brain as genital stimulation, an area known as the genital sensory cortex. This provides a neural mechanism for understanding why so many men find nipple stimulation to be pleasurable (and potentially orgasmic).

An parallel study conducted on women, which we previously covered on the blog, found similar results for women: stimulation of the nipple activates the same brain regions as stimulation of the vagina, cervix, and clitoris.

Images from Allen et al. (2020) depicting overlap in the brain regions stimulated from nipple, testicular, and penile stimulation.

“Nipplegasms” are One of Many Types of Non-Genital Orgasm

Contrary to popular belief, genital stimulation isn’t the only pathway to orgasm. Many people experience what are known as “non-genital orgasms,” which are climaxes that occur without direct stimulation of the penis or vulva. Listen to our podcast episode featuring Dr. Barry Komisaruk, Distinguished Professor of Psychology at Rutgers University–Newark, where we explore how orgasms can arise from stimulation of various parts of the body, including the nipples and ears. In addition, we discuss how various non-sexual activities, such as physical exercise, can trigger orgasm in some people.

However, one caveat to the research on non-genital orgasm is that scientists haven’t yet verified whether these orgasms look the same physiologically as orgasms that arise from genital stimulation (e.g., do they also trigger contractions of the pelvic floor?).

That said, experiencing arousal and pleasure from nipple stimulation is quite common, regardless of one’s sex or gender. As we discussed in a previous blog about erogenous zones, people can feel pleasure in many different parts of their bodies—and nipples appear to be one of the most common and responsive areas.

If you have a sex question of your own, record a voicemail at speakpipe.com/sexandpsychology to have it answered on the blog or the podcast. 

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References:

Allen, K., Wise, N., Frangos, E., & Komisaruk, B. (2020). Male urogenital system mapped onto the sensory cortex: Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence. The Journal of Sexual Medicine, 17(4), 603–613. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsxm.2019.12.007

Levin, R. J. (2006). The breast/nipple/areola complex and human sexuality. Sexual & Relationship Therapy, 21, 237-249.

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