A majority of women do fake orgasms — but their reasons for doing so vary, study reveals

Fake it till you make it does not apply here.

A new study revealed why women are more likely than men to fake orgasms — as well as why they won’t keep it up forever.

Researchers analyzed data submitted by 11,541 respondents from six European countries to determine who fakes orgasms and why they do so.

The findings, published in the Journal of Sex Research, show that around 13% of men and women were currently faking orgasms, 28% had previously done so, but since stopped, and 51% had avoided the erotic ruse altogether.

Between the two sexes, however, women were more likely to pretend to climax.

Of the respondents currently faking orgasms only 8.59% were men while 18.11% were women. For those who had in the past, the breakdown was 18.74% of men vs. 34.41% of women. Of the 51% of people said claimed to have never faked an orgasm, 65.79% were men and 36.41% were women.

“We found that being a woman, being homosexual, having more lifetime sexual partners and having children was associated with higher odds of faking orgasms,” the researchers wrote.

They also discovered that a person’s relationship status and whether or not they had a sex toy also played a role in playing the part of a satisfied lover.

People who were in an open relationship were more likely to have ever faked orgasms compared to those in longer-lasting relationships, and those who frequently relied on toys were more likely to deceive a partner in bed.

Researchers noted that those who faked orgasm were less satisfied with their relationship status, sex life and life in general than those who had given up the game.

“We found that faking orgasms was associated with lower sexual, relationship and life satisfaction. Combined with the results that about 40% of the sample has faked at some point in their lives, this suggests that orgasm faking merits research attention for its potential implications for people’s happiness and well-being,” study author Silvia Pavan, a PhD student at the University of Copenhagen told Medical Xpress.

When asked why they had stopped faking it, men and women reported increased and improved communication with their partners and developing a more satisfying sexual relationship.

However, men who stopped faking were more likely to have fixed the issue or stopped having sex altogether, whereas women largely resigned themselves to a life without orgasm, no longer feeling the need to fake it.

Previous research has described female orgasms as “biologically elusive,” which may explain why some women — and their partners — are more likely to give up on the endeavor.

“We believe that when it comes to experiencing pleasure with a partner, having transparent communication with them is key,” Pavan told PsyPost.

“When looking at reasons why people stopped faking orgasms, the main reason for stopping was being more comfortable with not having one, indicating a shift in perspective about the expectations one has from sex and the experience of pleasure.”

“Also, telling their partner what their desires and preferences are and having a partner that is responsive to those desires and preferences were mentioned as reasons for stopping, indicating transparent and active communication between two individuals was pivotal.”

Orgasms are beneficial for one’s mental health and have previously been found to improve physical health as well — but sex isn’t all about the big finish.

A recent mind-blowing study determined the three factors that contribute to “great sex.”