Condoms do not kill the mood nor do they make intercourse significantly less enjoyable, a new study finds. This flies in the face of the anecdotal evidence and life experience-based wisdom of all the teenage males who helped get their girlfriends cast on episodes of 16 and Pregnant.
The study—which was conducted at Indiana University’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion and published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine—used data from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior that questioned over 1,600 men and women, ages 18 – 59, who have all had sex. Researchers found that “sexual arousal, ease of erection, overall pleasure and orgasm weren’t much different” in those who used condoms compared to those who raw dogged.
However, the national survey was funded by Church & Dwight Co. Inc., the company behind Trojan condoms. But Debby Herbenick, the lead researcher on the study, said that the company did not influence her findings, some of which were not in favor of condoms:
[M]en who didn’t use condoms or lubricant had significantly higher arousal ratings than men who used condoms without lubricant.
According to Herbenick, heightened sexual pleasure isn’t really about condoms, but about lube. It’s not the meat—it’s the lotion.
[M]ost people who use a lubricant apply it to the outside of the condom. But adding a small amount at the inside tip can enhance the experience for the man. More enjoyment, she suggested, could mean that men will be happier to use them, increasing safety.
Ultimately though, sex just feels good, and it’s likely that a guy would rather put his boner in a condom than back in his pants.
Image via prapass/Shutterstock
Despite bad rap, condoms no barrier to good sex, study finds [MSNBC]