Faking it in the USA

... Now, an Indiana University survey published today has put some confirming data on the faked orgasm phenomenon. According to the survey's researchers, 85 percent of men said their partners climaxed during the most recent sex act, while 64 percent of women reported they actually did.

"There's this massive gap between men's perception and women's reality," says Debby Herbenick, co-author of the research and associate director at the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the university. "It shows a lack of communication between partners, either by women faking it, or by men not asking or noticing if their partner [climaxed]."

The survey, which drew on data from nearly 6,000 participants between the ages of 14 and 94, covered a wide range of sexual behaviors, sexual health practices and sexual perceptions, and according to the center, it was the largest nationally representative survey on sexual health ever performed. ...

via Sex, Surveys, and Masturbation: Internet Changing U.S. Sexual Behavior - ABC News.

Most reported reasons for faking it according to a 2009 study

• Orgasm was unlikely. — Sometimes it’s just not going to happen, and although this seems to be a more common issue amongst women, it can also happen with men. Especially if alcohol is involved.


• They wanted sex to end. — Closely linked to an orgasm is unlikely, sometimes a partner will want to keep having sex until their partner finishes. A fake orgasm brings sex to an end quickly.


• They wanted to avoid negative consequences. — Most people don’t want to hurt another person’s feelings, and that’s no more the case than with our romantic partner. A fake orgasm avoids the negative consequences of having another person feel badly that they didn’t perform “well enough” to bring the other person to climax.


• They wanted to please their partner. — Faking an orgasm shows that you care about your partner’s feelings of performance and self-esteem. Or so said the people who filled out the survey. ...

- Muehlenhard CL. & Shippee SK. (2009). Men’s and Women’s Reports of Pretending Orgasm. J Sex Res, 5, 1-16.

If you want to know for certain, all you need is "a simple brain scan" ...

A simple brain scan can spot whether a woman is faking an orgasm or not, a major fertility conference has heard. Researchers found that when a woman is faking, a part of the brain under conscious control lights up, while real orgasms occur subconsciously.

The University of Groningen scans also showed important differences between the male and female orgasm.

In women, turning off fear and anxiety is key, while men need to know they will be physically stimulated. - bbc


Professor Gert Holstege and colleagues asked 13 heterosexual couples aged 19-49 to take part in an experiment.