Research on Men’s Attitudes Toward Penis Size

From a psychological perspective, however,the crucial issue may not be actual penis size but rather a man’s perception of the size of his penis relative to other men’s. Very few studies have assessed the association between men’s beliefs about their penis size and satisfaction with their penis or psychological well being.

A small survey of 112 college men found that most men viewed their penises as average, but the rest of the men were more likely to believe they were smaller (26%) rather than larger than average(5%). There have been a few studies attempting to relate penis size to satisfaction. One study found that only 10% of men who rated their penis as “modest” were content with their penis size, compared with 40% of the average-sized men and 70% of the “endowed”men.

However, these findings were based on the responses of men (mean age  30 years) who chose to participate in a survey posted on and thus may reflect only the views of men particularly interested in the question of penis size. A recent study of undergraduate Canadian men examined men’s concerns with their erect, flaccid, and overall penis size. This study found that most men were more likely to be satisfied with their erect penis size (83%) and overall penis size (71%) than with their flaccid penis size(51%). However, the majority of participants completed the survey in a mass testing situation, which may have created social desirability pressures against reporting dissatisfaction with penis size. Interestingly, the authors also found that men’s global satisfaction with their genitals (e.g., size, shape, coloration, testicles) was linked to increased body satisfaction