Your favorite couple is having great sex. At least, this is true for most of the women in relationships that Caio Santos Alves da Silva, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of São Paulo, surveyed in a recent study. Da Silva and his team of researchers wanted to understand the role of the female orgasm from an evolutionary perspective. The male orgasm is required to release sperm, but women do not need to experience an orgasm to become pregnant. A new paper by da Silva and colleagues elucidates the theory that the female orgasm may have evolved to help in partner selection and nurture relationship longevity.
The majority of the nine hundred Brazilian women da Silva surveyed through an online questionnaire had satisfying sex lives that correlated to stronger bonds with their partners. “Female orgasms likely function as an incentive for women to seek sex and establish emotional bonds with partners who have advantageous characteristics, such as increased kindness, intelligence, good health, physical attractiveness, and empathy,” da Silva said. In terms of evolution, this supports the idea that the female orgasm was favorably selected because it leads to more compatible partnerships, supporting long-term relationships and better parenthood.
“An important thing about evolution: evolution will probably exclude structures that cost more than they are worth,” da Silva said. For example, the clitoris serves mainly as a structure to achieve orgasms. “It is very costly unless the female orgasm is evolutionarily favored,” da Silva explained.
Many mammals have a menstrual cycle with short periods of strong sexual drive during ovulation, so they mostly limit their sexual activity to the period when they may become pregnant. However, women can make decisions about sexual activity throughout the entire menstrual cycle, allowing intercourse in times when pregnancy is unlikely as well. Without any obvious physical displays of ovulation—the point of highest fertility in women—partners do not know when a woman is likely to become pregnant, and partnerships must remain together for longer. “This may have evolved to promote male involvement and bonding by encouraging prolonged courtship and attention from male partners, fostering a supportive environment for raising offspring,” da Silva said.
Furthermore, the study found that women reported breast stimulation to be a considerable contributor to reaching orgasm. The complex structure of women’s nipples is crucial for breastfeeding, but it also helps in finding partnership. “I remember being very surprised and sharing this with my advisor, and her response was to ask why I was surprised. I thought about it for a moment and said, ‘Well, because I’m a man, right?’” da Silva said.
Stigmas surrounding sex make it difficult to gather scientific information. The groups of women willing to share their experiences tend to skew toward those who feel openness in terms of their sexuality. “I believe we ended up attracting participants who have a very satisfying sex life,” da Silva said. This influenced his study with a baseline positive correlation between the number of times a woman experiences orgasms and the positive perception of the partner she experiences them with.
The study’s sample was based on convenience. About seventy percent of the women in the study were white and twenty percent were of mixed races, while other racial and ethnic groups made up less than ten percent. Also, one in ten participants were in relationships with female partners. Da Silva’s research team hopes to gain more inclusive data through in-person reports in the future.
The nuances and the stigma in studying female sexuality emphasize how imperative it is to elucidate the unrecognized advantages of the female orgasm. In studying evolutionary psychology, it’s necessary to understand both the science and experience of participants’ behaviors, yet the field is still dominated by male researchers—even when the participants are women. As more women enter the field and speak up about their sexuality, research about women’s experiences will grow. “I am very grateful for the contributions of my co-authors and the reviewers,” da Silva said, referencing the women he worked alongside.
For now, da Silva and his colleagues are doing their part to further our understanding of the female orgasm. “I joke that my data will help women see that orgasms can be a tool to select or eliminate potential partners,” da Silva said. “Instead of viewing difficulties as a ‘defect’ in the individual, it could actually be a matter of choosing a better partner!”