Human penis size

Compared to other primates, including large examples such as the gorilla, the human penis is thickest, both in absolute terms and relative to the rest of the body.

While results vary slightly across reputable studies, the consensus is that the mean human penis, when erect, is in the range 5–6 in (13–15 cm) in length.

[7] The penis and scrotum can contract involuntarily in reaction to cold temperatures, anxious or nervous level and participation in sports.

[8] This decrease of flaccid penis size is referred to by the slang term "shrinkage", due to action by the cremaster muscle.

[9] One study found that a minimal tension force of approximately 450 g during stretching of the penis was required to reach a full potential erection length.

Studies that have relied on self-measurement, including those from Internet surveys, consistently reported a higher average length than those that used medical or scientific methods to obtain measurements.

[5][13] The following staff-measured studies are composed of different subgroups of the human population (in other words, specific age range; selection of those with sexual medical concerns or self-selection) that could cause a sample bias.

[13][14] Similar results exist regarding studies of the circumference of the adult fully erect penis, with the measurement usually taken mid-shaft.

[2] According to Aaron Spitz, a urologist, many websites and studies promoting variation of penis size between races use unscientific methods of collecting information and often ignore contradictory evidence.

In a small study conducted by University of Texas–Pan American and published in 2001 in BMC Women's Health, 50 undergraduate women were surveyed by two popular male athletes on campus about their perceptions of sexual satisfaction; it was concluded that the width of a penis feels better than the length of a penis, when subjects are asked to choose between the two (size was left unspecified).

[46] A study published in 2002, conducted at Groningen University Hospital, asked 375 sexually active women (who had recently given birth) the importance of penis size.

[48] The study showed life-sized 3D computer-generated images, altering the height and other physical attributes, with women typically registering preferences in under 3 seconds.

Penile dimensions did not influence slippage, although penis circumference and broken condoms were strongly correlated, with larger sizes increasing the rate of breakage.

[citation needed] An adult penis with an erect length of 2.5 SD below the average but otherwise formed normally is referred to in a medical context as having the micropenis condition.

[7] Some of the identifiable causes are deficiency of pituitary growth hormone or gonadotropins, mild degrees of androgen insensitivity, a variety of genetic syndromes and variations in certain homeobox genes.

[55] It has been suggested that differences in penis size between individuals are caused not only by genetics, but also by environmental factors such as culture, diet and chemical or pollution exposure.

[62] DEHP metabolites measured from the urine of pregnant women have been significantly associated with the decreased penis width, shorter anogenital distance and the incomplete descent of testicles of their newborn sons, replicating effects identified in animals.

[64] In addition, some estrogen-based fertility drugs like diethylstilbestrol (DES) have been linked to genital abnormalities or a smaller than normal penis (microphallus).

[66] Actors portraying male characters in ancient Greek comedy wore enormous, fake, red penises, which dangled underneath their costumes;[71] In Aristophanes's comedy The Clouds, "Mr. Good Reason" gives the character Pheidippides a description of the ideal youth: "A glistening chest and glowing skin / Broad shoulders, a small tongue /A mighty bottom and a tiny prong.

[73] A scholion on Apollonius of Rhodes's Argonautica states that, when Priapus's mother Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty, gave birth to him, she was so horrified by the size of his penis, his massive potbelly, and his huge tongue that she abandoned him to die in the wilderness.

[67] A statue of the god Hermes with an exaggerated penis stood outside the main gate of Athens[67] and in Alexandria in 275 BC, a procession in honor of Dionysus hauled a 180-foot phallus through the city and people venerated it by singing hymns and reciting poems.

Ezekiel 23:18–20 Lexham English Bible Ancient Chinese legend holds that a man named Lao Ai had the largest penis in history and that he had an affair with Queen Dowager Zhao (c. 280–228 BC), the mother of Qin Shi Huang, by pretending to be a eunuch.

[67] The oldest known painting of this type, found in the Hōryū-ji Temple in Ikaruga, dates to the eighth century AD and depicts a fairly large penis.

[67] In medieval Arabic literature, a longer penis was preferred, as described in an Arabian Nights tale called "Ali with the Large Member".

[74][67] The medieval Norsemen considered the size of a man's penis as the measure of his manliness,[75] and a thirteenth-century Norse magic talisman from Bergen, a wooden stave inscribed with writing in runic script, promises its wearer: "You will fuck Rannveig the Red.

"[75] A late fourteenth century account of the life of Saint Óláfr from the Flateyjarbók describes a pagan ritual which centered around a preserved horse's penis used as a cult artifact[75] which members of the cult would pass around in a circle,[75] making up verses in praise of it,[75] encouraging it and the other members of the group to behave in sexually suggestive ways.

[67] There is no direct evidence that it was necessarily worn to enhance the apparent size of the wearer's penis,[67] but larger codpieces were seen as more fashionable.

[76] Another study found sex education of standard penile measurements to be helpful and relieving for patients concerned about small penis size, most of whom had incorrect beliefs of what is considered medically normal.

The penis can significantly shrink due to scar tissue formation from a condition called Peyronie's disease which affects up to 10% of men.

At present there is no consensus in the scientific community of any non-surgical technique that permanently increases either the thickness or length of the erect penis that already falls into the normal range (4.5" to 7").