Most of the time, when it comes to sexual fulfilment, there’s a prominent discourse of women ‘faking’ orgasms. While it’s usually seen as a surface-level issue tied to the poor performance of sex or relationship problems, a study published in the International Journal of Sexual Health identified deeper psychological reasons behind this behaviour. Often, this fake performance is thought to be from social pressure, but the findings of the study explored this from a psychological point of view.
Difficulty in managing expressions
While people assume faking orgasm is simply acting, it can sometimes be an act of coping as well. As per the findings, women who have a hard time expressing and managing their emotions are likely to struggle with showing their emotions during sex, too. Instead, they choose to put on an act to not deal with all the emotions. The study noted that this was especially during vaginal sex. So, if a woman is having sex to feel better emotionally, to make her partner happy, or for any reason related to emotional management, she is more likely to fake an orgasm. This brings a nuanced perception to the discourse of sexual intimacy.
What does it mean?
This is a significant finding, challenging older beliefs. Faking orgasms also stems from deep-seated issues related to the inability to deal with emotions. There are a lot of reasons why a woman may fake it, from the insecurity of upsetting her partner to the guilt of not being enough. This may also be an indicator of the need for proper emotional communication, self-reflection, and awareness. Often, faking an orgasm is laughed off as a joke, but it actually calls for honest conversations about feelings and needs.
