faking orgasms

Study: Women Fake Orgasms for Their Own Pleasure

Photo: Arman Zhenikeyev/Shutterstock

Historically, the reasons for a woman to fake an orgasm are pretty standard: ego protection, a quick exit from a dissatisfying sexual experience, or a reenactment of When Harry Met Sally. But, a recent study published in the Journal of Sexual Archives found that there might be another, more surprising, reason women fake that big O: for their own sexual pleasure.

Researchers at Temple University and Kenyon College polled 481 sexually active female students about the factors that influenced their choices to fake orgasms. While the standard reasons like altruistic deceit (to boost your partner’s ego), sexual adjournment (to get sex over with), and fear and insecurity were still highly rated, elevated arousal — increasing one’s own pleasure by faking an orgasm — was the third most popular reason.

Just call it the Field of Dreams philosophy of sex: If you build it, you will come.

Study: Women Fake Orgasms for Their Own Pleasure