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The Size Of Your Penis - How Do You Measure UP?

So, assuming that you wish to know how big your penis is - just for comparison's sake, of course! - how will you go about measuring it?

First of all, you will wish to be at your maximum size when you measure your dick. In formal research studies, there are several ways of ensuring this - artificially induced erections, for example. One approach that is often used is to measure the stretched flaccid length. However, stretched flaccid penile length is a very poor predictor of erect length, and the best way to get the erect length is to lay a piece of string along the upper surface of the penis. Unfortunately, self-reporting is notoriously unreliable, and few studies based on self-reporting really tell us much about what size the average penis actually is.

If you want to have a try and you're not going to exaggerate to impress your girlfriend here's how to do it. Penile length is simply from the tip to the base, along the upper surface of your penis, pressing slightly into your pubic fat. Measuring along the underside is not as reliable and gives more scope for error. Penile circumference - also known as girth - is measured around the thickest part of the penile shaft.

Unfortunately, any research which rely on men to measure their own penises are very unreliable - and in any case, men with smaller cocks may well be disposed to exaggerate their size.

We know that studies which rely on self-measurement always show the average penis size to be longer and thicker than those where measurement is conducted by independent person - i.e. not the man attached to the penis being measured! A study in the September 1996 Journal of Urology reported that average erect length was just over five inches - 5.1 to be exact. And a study in the December 2000 International Journal of Impotence Research discovered that average erect penile length was a little more, at 13.6 cm (5.35 in).

A famous study by LifeStyles Condoms in the year 2001 found that the average length of the penis was 5.9 inches. These figures compare with self-measurement surveys where averages are consistently over 6 inches. Similar trends are revealed in reports of the circumference of the white adult fully erect penis. Once again, studies from self-measurement data report thicker dimensions than those where staff have done the measuring. The LifeStyles Condoms survey revealed that the average circumference was one tenth of an inch less than 12.6 cm (5.0 in).

As we all know, the flaccid length of a man's dick is not a sign of the erect length. Smaller penises grow proportionately more when they develop an erection, and the increase in volume between men varies very much. A small flaccid penis can grow by as much as five times its resting volume, while a large flaccid penis may only become harder on erection, with no increase in size whatsoever.

The study referred to above showed that average soft length was 8.8 cm (3.5 inches). And again, size is affected by the temperature at which the measurement takes place. It's no surprise to hear that nearly half of all men wish they had a bigger penis. Even men who know think their penis is average in size would like a bigger one! Clearly the idea of having a large penis makes men feel good. There is a major self-esteem issue here, for we know that men think a bigger penis is more masculine or desirable.

Another amazing fact: gay men apparently have bigger penises than heterosexual men. Gay men measure in at 6.32 inches erect while straight men are 5.99 inches in length, according to over 5000 measurements of men's dicks in the Kinsey Report. The straight erect penis girth is 4.80 inches, compared to 4.95 inches for gay men. Now - why? Do gay men pack a bigger dick in their pants?

All these measurements were taken by the men themselves so they may not be reliable. And it seems gay men's self-esteem depends on their perception of their penis size. For many gay men, penis size is a measure of masculinity. Of course, we all tend to think we are smaller than we are, because we don't get a true view of our penis from above: this view makes it look shorter than it really is.

Of course, there are other studies which try to connect between penis size and race. There is limited evidence on this subject which suggest black men have an erection which is on average about half an inch longer than white men, while Asian men seem to be cheated in the penis size department - their erections are half an inch shorter on average than whites (though there is also evidence that this fits with the Asian women's smaller pussy).

More important is what women think of penis size. Do women select sexual partners on the basis of penis size? It seems unlikely. There are a few women who are aroused by large dicks, but most women look for a sexual partner who is kind, has a sense of humor, and will make a reliable father. In fact, research shows penis size is important for a minority of women, and many hate large penises. Having said that, Women's Health magazine found that women seem to prefer a wider penis than a long one.

Nonetheless, if you are a man with a small penis, you won't suffer a life without a lover. All the men we spoke to in our research on penis size with a small penis - and that means men with an erect penis less than four inches long - had a partner and enjoyed sex with her, or him if they were gay.