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Research reveals the real reason women orgasm - and why technique isn't everything
The female orgasm is something that's eluded men - and science - for generations.
Some fortunate women experience orgasms fairly often, but a majority rarely do, and a small number will live their entire lives without experiencing one.
The evolutionary purpose for the male orgasm is simple. Without it, human reproduction cannot happen.
But the female orgasm has a less clear-cut function. Some scientists think it is a functionless byproduct of sex.
Others say it boosts the amount of sperm released during sex Now, research in a US Government-backed journal has shone new light on the subject -- and it's not great news for fans of casual sex.
Researchers have been flummoxed for ages by the question of whether the female orgasm has a basis in evolution. This study posits that the female orgasm is a powerful tool for creating stronger emotional bonds between people
The study suggests that the female orgasm may have evolved to help women choose better partners.
Known as the mate-choice hypothesis, the idea is that women are more likely to experience orgasms with high-quality mates.
Researchers from Bowling Green State and Elmhurst universities in Ohio and Illinois found women who orgasm more frequently tend to be happier in their relationships and expected them to last longer.
Women who have frequent orgasms, the hypothesis posits, might be more likely to stay with their partners because they feel happy and secure in the relationship.
There is some evidence that women's orgasms increases sperm retention, which may also increase the likelihood of reproducing with a mate who has good genes.
From an evolutionary standpoint, this would increase the chances of the overall success and the survival of offspring.
The study, which was published in the Government journal PubMed, included 175 straight women who role-played a scenario in which they answered questions about an imaginary boyfriend named Michael.
One scenario saw them dating Michael for a short period, around a month, while another described a long-term relationship of a year or more.
They were then asked to describe how often they experience orgasms with Michael: never, occasionally or almost always.
Each person rated their satisfaction on a seven-point scale from 1 (not at all) to 7 (extremely).
They answered a range of questions using the seven-point scale, including how long did they anticipate staying with Michael, how much they trusted him, how much emotional intimacy they felt toward him, and how easy or difficult it was generally for them to have an orgasm.
Researchers wanted to see if there was a connection between how often women experienced orgasms with Michael and how committed and happy they felt in their relationships with him.
The above shows women in long-term relationships expected their relationships to last longer compared to those in short-term relationships. Those who role played having orgasms almost all the time expected their relationships to last longer than those who role played having orgasms sometimes or never
The above shows women reported higher satisfaction in long-term relationships compared to short-term ones. Those who role played experiencing orgasms almost all the time had higher satisfaction scores compared to those who role played having orgasms sometimes or never
Expectations for the length of their imaginary relationship were assessed by combining scores from one to seven in response to two questions: 'How likely are you to stay in the relationship for the long term?'; and 'How likely are you to end the relationship soon?'
Women who imagined having orgasms all the time with Michael were happier in their relationships than those who imagined having orgasms sometimes or never.
For orgasm influence on length of relationship - women who imagined having orgasms almost all the time expected longer relationships compared to those who imagined having orgasms sometimes or never.
The researchers considered a couple of concepts to show how the mate-choice hypothesis might work here.
The first is known as the 'Mr Right' prediction, which posited that women use whether a man can make her orgasm as a clue to determine if he's a good choice for a long-term relationship.
Whether a man can bring a woman to orgasm may function as a sign of his commitment to her and care for her needs.
But this prediction did not yield the results they expected.
While the study found that the frequency of orgasms had a strong bearing on a woman's level of satisfaction in the relationship, testing found that a man's level of commitment did not play a significant role in explaining the link between orgasm frequency and relationship satisfaction.
The other possible explanation of orgasm frequency's impact on relationship satisfaction was the long-term pair bonding hypothesis, which posits that the women's love for their partner would explain the relationship between how often they orgasm and both satisfaction and predicted duration of the relationship.
The hypothesis suggests that a woman's orgasm helps strengthen her emotional connection to her male partner, making her more committed to the relationship.
The researchers found when a woman felt more love for her partner, this explained the link between orgasm frequency and her satisfaction level, as well as between orgasm frequency and how long the relationship was expected to last.
The role of orgasms in relationships, according to this hypothesis, may be through strengthening the emotional connection and commitment between partners.
Similar results were found for how long women expected their relationship to last. Love for the partner also fully explained the link between orgasm frequency and expected relationship duration.
The researchers said: 'The female participants’ self-reported love for her partner fully mediated the relationship between orgasm frequency and relationship satisfaction/duration.
'This seems to indicate that the mate-choice function of female orgasm may act through promoting long-term pair bonding through female attachment.'
The finding that a woman's love for her partner fully explained the connection between orgasm frequency and relationship satisfaction, offering a glimmer of hope to those men who may struggle to perform in the bedroom.
Emotional intimacy is key to understanding why having more orgasms typically leads to greater satisfaction in a relationship.