The female orgasm is something that has eluded men (and science) for generations.
Some lucky women experience orgasms quite frequently, but most rarely do and a small number will live their entire lives without experiencing one.
The evolutionary purpose of the male orgasm is simple: without it, human reproduction cannot occur.
But the female orgasm has a less clear function. Some scientists think it is a byproduct of sex without any function.
Others say it increases the amount of sperm released during sex. Now, research published in a US government-backed journal has shed new light on the issue – and it’s not great news for fans of casual sex.
Researchers have puzzled for years over the question of whether the female orgasm has an evolutionary basis. 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 partners.
Researchers at Bowling Green State University and Elmhurst University in Ohio and Illinois found that women who have orgasms more frequently tend to be happier in their relationships and expect them to last longer.
Women who have frequent orgasms, the hypothesis goes, may be more likely to stay with their partners because they feel happy and secure in the relationship.
There is some evidence that female orgasms increase sperm retention, which may also increase the likelihood of reproducing with a partner who has good genes.
From an evolutionary point of view, this would increase the chances of overall success and survival of the offspring.
He studywhich It was published in the government journal PubMedincluded 175 heterosexual women who acted out a scenario in which they answered questions about an imaginary boyfriend named Michael.
One scenario saw them dating Michael for a short period, about a month, while another described a long-term relationship of a year or more.
They were then asked to describe how often they experienced 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 series of questions using a seven-point scale, including how long they expected to stay with Michael, how much they trusted him, how much emotional intimacy they felt toward him, and how easy or difficult it was overall for them to have an orgasm.
The 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 that women who were in long-term relationships expected their relationships to last longer compared to those who were in short-term relationships. Those who represented having orgasms almost all the time expected their relationships to last longer than those who represented having orgasms sometimes or never.
The above shows that women reported higher satisfaction in long-term relationships compared to short-term ones. Those who represented experiencing orgasms almost all the time scored higher in satisfaction compared to those who represented having orgasms sometimes or never.
Expectations about the duration of their imagined relationship were assessed by combining scores from one to seven in response to two questions: “How likely is it that you will stay in the relationship long term?” and “How likely is it that you will 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.
Regarding the influence of orgasm on relationship duration, 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 posits that women use whether a man can make them have an orgasm as a cue to determine whether he’s a good fit for a long-term relationship.
The fact that a man can bring a woman to orgasm can be a sign of his commitment to her and his concern for her needs.
But this prediction did not produce the expected results.
Although the study found that orgasm frequency had a strong influence on a woman’s level of relationship satisfaction, the evidence 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 for the impact of orgasm frequency on relationship satisfaction was the long-term pair bonding hypothesis, which posits that women’s love for their partner would explain the relationship between the frequency with which they have orgasms and satisfaction and the expected duration of the relationship.
The hypothesis suggests that a woman’s orgasm helps strengthen her emotional connection with her male partner, making her more committed to the relationship.
The researchers found that when a woman felt more love for her partner, this explained the link between orgasm frequency and her level of satisfaction, 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 the couple.
Similar results were found for expected relationship duration among women. Love for one’s partner also fully explained the link between orgasm frequency and expected relationship duration.
The researchers said: ‘Female participants’ reported love for their 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 to promote long-term pair bonding through female attachment.’
The discovery that a woman’s love for her partner fully explained the connection between orgasm frequency and relationship satisfaction, offering a ray of hope to men who may struggle to perform in the bedroom.
Emotional intimacy is key to understanding why having more orgasms generally leads to greater satisfaction in a relationship.
