Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

The Association Between Penis Size and Sexual Health Among Men Who Have Sex with Men

Archives of Sexual Behavior Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Larger penis size has been equated with a symbol of power, stamina, masculinity, and social status. Yet, there has been little research among men who have sex with men assessing the association between penis size and social-sexual health. Survey data from a diverse sample of 1,065 men who have sex with men were used to explore the association between perceived penis size and a variety of psychosocial outcomes. Seven percent of men felt their penis was “below average,” 53.9% “average,” and 35.5% “above average.” Penis size was positively related to satisfaction with size and inversely related to lying about penis size (all ps < .01). Size was unrelated to condom use, frequency of sex partners, HIV status, or recent diagnoses of HBV, HCV, gonorrhea/Chlamydia/urinary tract infections, and syphilis. Men with above average penises were more likely to report HPV and HSV-2 (Fisher’s exact p ≤ .05). Men with below average penises were significantly more likely to identify as “bottoms” (anal receptive) and men with above average penises were significantly more likely to identify as “tops” (anal insertive). Finally, men with below average penises fared significantly worse than other men on three measures of psychosocial adjustment. Though most men felt their penis size was average, many fell outside this “norm.” The disproportionate number of viral skin-to-skin STIs (HSV-2 and HPV) suggest size may play a role in condom slippage/breakage. Further, size played a significant role in sexual positioning and psychosocial adjustment. These data highlight the need to better understand the real individual-level consequences of living in a penis-centered society.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Benotsch, E. G., Kalichman, S. C., & Cage, M. (2002). Men who have met sex partners via the Internet: Prevalence, predictors, and implications for HIV prevention. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 31, 177–183.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, B. E., Ferrans, C. E., & Lashley, F. R. (2001). Measuring stigma in people with HIV: Psychometric assessment of the HIV Stigma scale. Research in Nursing and Health, 24, 518–529.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bergling, T. (2007). Chasing adonis: Gay men and the pursuit of perfection. New York: Harrington Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bimbi, D. S., & Parsons, J. T. (2004). The impact of intolerance: Stigma, satisfaction with gay life and generativity among gay men and lesbians. Paper presented at the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality.

  • Bimbi, D. S., Parsons, J. T., & Nanín, J. E. (2005). Stigma, life satisfaction, generativity and attachment to the gay community. Paper presented at the American Psychological Association.

  • Bogaert, A. F., & Hershberger, S. (1999). The relation between sexual orientation and penile size. Archives of Sex Behavior, 28, 213–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bordo, S. (1999). The male body: A new look at men in public and private. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carey, M. P., Braaten, L. S., Jaworski, B. C., Durant, L. E., & Forsyth, A. D. (1999). HIV and AIDS relative to other health, social, and relationship concerns among low-income women: A brief report. Journal of Women’s Health and Gender Based Medicine, 8, 657–661.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J. L., Kodagoda, D., Lawrence, A. M., & Kerndt, P. R. (2002). Rapid public health interventions in response to an outbreak of syphilis in Los Angeles. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 29, 285–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power: Society, the person, and sexual politics. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, R. A., DiClemente, R. J., Yarber, W. L., Snow, G., & Troutman, A. (2008). An event-specific analysis of condom breakage among African American men at risk of HIV acquisition. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 35, 174–177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, R. A., Salazar, L. F., Yarber, W. L., Sanders, S. A., Graham, C. A., Head, S., et al. (2008). A theory-based approach to understanding condom errors and problems reported by men attending an STI clinic. AIDS and Behavior, 12, 412–418.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, R. A., Yarber, W. L., Sanders, S. A., & Graham, C. A. (2005). Condom discomfort and associated problems with their use among university students. Journal of American College Health, 54, 143–147.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Crosby, R. A., Yarber, W. L., Sanders, S. A., Graham, C. A., McBride, K., Milhausen, R. R., et al. (2007). Men with broken condoms: Who and why? Sexually Transmitted Infections, 83, 71–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K. R., & Weller, S. C. (1999). The effectiveness of condoms in reducing heterosexual transmission of HIV. Family Planning Perspectives, 31, 272–279.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De Graaf, R., Vanwesenbeeck, I., Van Zessen, G., Straver, C. J., & Visser, J. H. (1995). Alcohol and drug use in heterosexual and homosexual prostitution, and its relation to protection behaviour. AIDS Care, 7, 35–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dotson, E. W. (1999). Behold the man: The hype and selling of male beauty in media and culture. Albany, NY: Harrington Park Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Drummond, M. J. N., & Filiault, S. M. (2007). The long and short of it: Gay men’s preceptions of penis size. Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review, 3, 121–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederick, D. A., Buchanan, G. M., Sadehgi-Azar, L., Peplau, L. A., Haselton, M. G., & Berezovskaya, A. (2007). Desiring the muscular ideal: Men’s body satisfaction in the United States, Ukraine, and Ghana. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 8, 103–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, D. M., Parsons, J. T., & Nanín, J. E. (2007). Stigma, concealment and symptoms of depression as explanations for sexually transmitted infections among gay men. Journal of Health Psychology, 12, 636–640.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Garside, R. (2004). Shape: A neglected factor influencing use and acceptability. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 10, 785–790.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grady, W. R., Klepinger, D. H., Billy, J. O., & Tanfer, K. (1993). Condom characteristics: The perceptions and preferences of men in the United States. Family Planning Perspectives, 25, 67–73.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grady, W. R., Klepinger, D. H., & Nelson-Wally, A. (1999). Contraceptive characteristics: The perceptions and priorities of men and women. Family Planning Perspectives, 31, 168–175.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Grov, C., Debusk, J., Bimbi, D. S., Golub, S. A., Nanín, J. E., & Parsons, J. T. (2007). Barebacking, the Internet and harm reduction: An Intercept survey with gay and bisexual men in Los Angeles and New York City. AIDS and Behavior, 11, 527–536.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Halkitis, P. N., & Parsons, J. T. (2002). Recreational drug use and HIV-risk sexual behavior among men frequenting gay social venues. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 14, 19–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall, H. I., Byers, R. H., Ling, Q., & Espinoza, L. (2007). Racial/ethnic and age disparities in HIV prevalence and disease progression among men who have sex with men in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 1060–1066.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herbenick, D., & Reece, M. (2006). Penis length and circumference as contributors to condom breakage, slippage, and perceived discomfort. European Journal of Sexual Health, 15, 35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, K. K., Levine, R., & Weaver, M. (2004). Effectiveness of condoms in preventing sexually transmitted infections. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 82, 454–461.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jadack, R. A., Fresia, A., Rompalo, A. M., & Zenilman, J. (1997). Reasons for not using condoms of clients at urban sexually transmitted diseases clinics. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 24, 402–408.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., Benotsch, E., Rompa, D., Gore-Felton, C., Austin, J., Luke, W., et al. (2001). Unwanted sexual experiences and sexual risks in gay and bisexual men: Associations among revictimization, substance use and psychiatric symptoms. Journal of Sex Research, 28, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalichman, S. C., & Simbaya, L. (2004). Traditional beliefs about the cause of AIDS and AIDS-related stigma in South Africa. AIDS Care, 16, 572–580.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence, R. H., & Liang, J. (1988). Structural integration of the Affect Balance Scale and the Life Satisfaction Index A: Race, sex, and age differences. Psychology and Aging, 3, 375–384.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lehman, P. (1998). In an imperfect world, men with small penises are unforgiven. Men and Masculinities, 1, 123–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leigh, B. C., Ames, S. L., & Stacy, A. W. (2008). Alcohol, drugs, and condom use among drug offenders: An event-based analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 93, 38–42.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leigh, B. C., Morrison, D. M., Hoppe, M. J., Beadnell, B., & Gillmore, M. R. (2008). Retrospective assessment of the association between drinking and condom use. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 69, 773–776.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lever, J., Frederick, D. A., & Peplau, L. A. (2006). Does size matter? Men’s and women’s views on penis size across the lifespan. Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 7, 129–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lockwood, P., Jordan, C. H., & Kunda, Z. (2002). Motivation by positive or negative role models: Regulatory focus determines who will best inspire us. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 854–864.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malebranche, D. (2003). Black men who have sex with men and the HIV epidemic: Next steps for public health. American Journal of Public Health, 93, 862–865.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Messner, M. (1997). Politics of masculinities: Men in movements. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, K. W., Wilder, L. B., Stillman, F. A., & Becker, D. M. (1997). The feasibility of a street-intercept survey method in an African-American community. American Journal of Public Health, 87, 655–658.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mondaini, N., Ponchietti, R., Gontero, P., Muir, G. H., Natali, A., Caldarera, E., et al. (2002). Penile length is normal in most men seeking penile lengthening procedures. International Journal of Impotency Research, 14, 283–286.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Munoz-Silva, A., Sanchez-Garcia, M., Nunes, C., & Martins, A. (2007). Gender differences in condom use prediction with Theory of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour: The role of self-efficacy and control. AIDS Care, 19, 1177–1181.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Osmond, D. H., Pollack, L. M., Paul, J. P., & Catania, J. A. (2007). Changes in prevalence of HIV infection and sexual risk behavior in men who have sex with men in San Francisco: 1997–2002. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 1677–1683.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Palefsky, J. (2007). Human papillomavirus infection in HIV-infected persons. Topics in HIV Medicine, 15, 130–133.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paley, M. (2000). The book of the penis. New York: Grove/Atlantic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parsons, J. T., Schrimshaw, E. W., Bimbi, D. S., Wolitski, R. J., Gomez, C. A., & Halkitis, P. N. (2005). Consistent, inconsistent, and non-disclosure to casual sexual partners among HIV-seropositive gay and bisexual men. AIDS, 19(Suppl. 1), S87–S97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ponchietti, R., Mondaini, N., Bonafe, M., DiLoro, F., Biscioni, S., & Masieri, L. (2001). Penile length and circumference: A study on 3,300 young Italian males. European Urology, 39, 183–186.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pope, H. G., Phillips, K. A., & Olivardia, R. (2000). The Adonis complex: The secret crisis of male body obsession. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reece, M., Dodge, B., Herbenick, D., Fisher, C., Alexander, A., & Satinsky, S. (2007). Experiences of condom fit and feel among African-American men who have sex with men. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 83, 454–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reece, M., Herbenick, D., Monahan, P. O., Sanders, S. A., Temkit, M., & Yarber, W. L. (2008). Breakage, slippage, and acceptability outcomes of a condom fitted to penile dimensions. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 84, 143–149.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richters, J., Donovan, B., & Gerofi, J. (1993). How often do condoms break or slip off in use? International Journal of STD and AIDS, 4, 90–94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Richters, J., Gerofi, J., & Donovan, B. (1995). Why do condoms break or slip off in use? An exploratory study. International Journal of STD and AIDS, 6, 11–18.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. J., & Waugh, M. S. (1997). Latex condom breakage and slippage in a controlled clinical trial. Contraception, 56, 17–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rotheram-Borus, M. J., Lee, M., Zhou, S., O’Hara, P., Birnbaum, J. M., Swendeman, D., et al. (2001). Variation in health and risk behavior among youth living with HIV. AIDS Education and Prevention, 13, 42–54.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Samuel, M., Lo, T., Klausner, J., Kerndt, P., Coulter, S., Gould, G., et al. (2003). Epidemic syphilis among gay and other men who have sex with men in California-lessons for HIV prevention. Paper presented at the 2003 National HIV Prevention Conference, Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Schwarcz, S., Scheer, S., McFarland, W., Katz, M., Valleroy, L., Chen, S., et al. (2007). Prevalence of HIV infection and predictors of high-transmission sexual risk behaviors among men who have sex with men. American Journal of Public Health, 97, 1067–1075.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spyropoulos, E., Borousas, D., Mavrikos, S., Dellis, A., Bourounis, M., & Athanasiadis, S. (2002). Size of external genital organs and somatometric parameters among physically normal men younger than 40 years old. Urology, 60, 485–489.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, M. J., & Cates, W. (2006). Condoms and sexually-transmitted infections. New England Journal of Medicine, 354, 2642–2643.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, M. J., & Cates, W. (2008). Are condoms the answer to rising rates of non-HIV sexually transmitted infections? Yes. BMJ, 336, 184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steiner, M. J., Cates, W., & Warner, L. (1999). The real problem with male condoms is nonuse. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 26, 459–462.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Stulhofer, A. (2006). How (un)important is penis size for women with heterosexual experience? [Letter to the editor]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 35, 5–6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103, 193–210.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • World Association for Sexual Health. (2008). Sexual health for the millennium. A declaration and technical document. Minneapolis, MN: Author.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Christian Grov was supported in part as a postdoctoral fellow in the Behavioral Sciences training in Drug Abuse Research program sponsored by Public Health Solutions and the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI) with funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (T32 DA07233). The Sex and Love v5.0 Project was supported by the Hunter College Center for HIV/AIDS Educational Studies and Training (CHEST), under the direction of Jeffrey T. Parsons. The authors acknowledge the contributions of other members of the Sex and Love v5.0 Research Team: Michael R. Adams, Virginia Andersen, Anthony Bamonte, Jessica Colon, Armando Fuentes, Catherine Holder, James P. Kelleher, Brian C. Kelly, Juline Koken, Jose E. Nanin, Brooke E. Wells, Jaye Walker, and the DIVAS (Drag Initiative to Vanquish AIDS). An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2008 meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Mid-Continent and Eastern Region Joint Conference.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey T. Parsons.

Appendices

Appendix 1

The Gay Life Satisfaction Scale (α = .75)

Coded:

  • 1 = Strongly disagree

  • 2 = Disagree

  • 3 = Agree

  • 4 = Strongly agree

About being gay/bisexual …

In most ways, my life as a gay/bi person is fulfilling

I think as a gay/bi person I worry about being alone in the future (Reverse coded)

The conditions of my life as a gay/bi person are just as good as anyone else’s

Being gay/bi is a difficult life experience (Reverse coded)

I will be able to get all the important things I want in my life as a gay/bi person

My life as a gay/bi person could be happier (Reverse coded)

I am satisfied with my life as a gay/bi person

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grov, C., Parsons, J.T. & Bimbi, D.S. The Association Between Penis Size and Sexual Health Among Men Who Have Sex with Men. Arch Sex Behav 39, 788–797 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9439-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-008-9439-5

Keywords

Navigation