Nothing makes it harder to ask for what you want, than not having the specific language to describe it. By asking thousands of women to describe what enhances their pleasure during sex, and to create words for the more common answers, a team of scientists hopes to create a vocabulary of pleasure that others can recognize and apply.
Dr. Devon Hensel of the University of Indiana has led worldwide pilot studies of English-speaking women and asked them to describe things that give them more pleasure during sex.
After identifying several techniques commonly used to increase sexual pleasure during vaginal penetration – whether with a penis, sex toy or finger – Hensel gave them names. She now conducted a survey of 90 questions among more than 3,000 American women aged 18 to 93 and asked if they had tried and enjoyed each of them.
To make sure participants know what is being discussed, they were shown videos made by Hensel’s colleagues – not of the deeds themselves, but of other women explaining their experiences.
The most popular technique, Hensel reports in PLOS ONE, is one that the team calls ‘Angling’ or adjusts the hips, and 87.5 percent of respondents said it increases their pleasure. Three other techniques – Rocking, Shallowing and Pairing – received at least 69.7 percent approval.
These are just the most popular variety of techniques that Hensel and colleagues identify in what they call the OMGYES Pleasure Report. The PLOS article discusses these four in detail, including the popularity of ‘subforms’, or more specific versions, of each.
Participants reported what they get from each; for example, 10 percent of those who enjoy Shallowing said it increases the likelihood of them having an orgasm, while a quarter said it has stronger orgasms. The full report contains ratings on a four-point scale.
Scientists do not have to justify studying people’s pleasure, but Devon and co-authors do it anyway by pointing out several benefits. Sexual pleasure, they say, is associated with greater; “Physical, social and emotional well-being … and lower levels of depression, stress and anxiety.”
Furthermore, the paper notes; “Research on sexual pleasure can support person-centered perspectives by assessing the details of what makes sex pleasurable for everyone [woman], rather than assuming that the same handful of approaches work equally well everyone women. ”
Despite this, most research; “Focus on the body part or object that stimulates or penetrates the vagina,” and ignores the techniques that women themselves use. It seems that previous studies could not shake off a view of sex from the Victorian era, in which the woman is expected to lie inert and have things done to her. In addition, the limited research on women’s techniques usually involved easy access to samples, such as university students, which may not be representative. Hensel used a much more diverse sample.
One of the consequences of the previous neglect of pleasure research is that most women have to work out what they want on their own, without any form of start-up menu. Another is the lack of shorthand that can be used to give direction to partners. The newspaper notes that many people have also turned to non-scientific sources, including journals that focus on specific techniques that are right for everyone.