Male Sexuality Myths & Realities
MYTH: Real sex is intercourse. Anything else is just foreplay.
REALITY: Most women derive more pleasure from direct stimulation than from intercourse. Guys who just want to “get down to business” can be a real turn-off for women. You want a hot sex life? Take your time, and get creative.
MYTH: It’s no fun without climax, so don’t start what you can’t finish.
REALITY: Hugging, talking, whispering, kissing, licking, stroking, sucking, touching can be intensely satisfying for men as well as women. Ask anyone who’s taken a road trip: it’s not the destination that counts, it’s the journey.
MYTH: A man must ejaculate or it will eventually affect his health.
REALITY: We’ve heard all kinds of variations on this myth – guys have to ejaculate or their testicles/feet/brains will swell/fall off/fill with toxins. Truth is, there’s no health reasons why a guy has to ejaculate (and no, “I paid for dinner” is not a good excuse, either).
MYTH: A real man can get – and maintain -- an erection anytime, anywhere.
REALITY: Erections are the result of many biologic events occurring simultaneously under suitable conditions. As for the “real man”, most women will tell you that a real man is any guys with a brain attached to his penis. Leave the stereotypes to Hollywood. Besides, who wants to be walking around with an erection all day? How awkward.
MYTH: If a man can’t get an erection, or loses it, then he must not be attracted to (or in love with) his partner.
REALITY: The failure of the mechanical event we call an erection has little to do with desire or libido. Desire can be affected by hormones, depression, stress and fatigue as much as by attraction or love. Don’t point to one cause until you and your doctor have checked and ruled out all the medical possibilities.
MYTH: Erection problems are usually psychological.
REALITY: Erectile dysfunction is not the result of any single cause. Our bodies and our brains co-exist, so it’s not a “one or the other” phenomenon.
MYTH: If the erection isn’t working, the man just isn’t trying hard enough.
REALITY: Just the opposite! It’s not the flexing of muscle, but the relaxation of the smooth muscle cells lining the blood vessels that allows the penis to fill with blood. It sounds weird, but the less you “try” the better. Take it from us: blaming yourself isn’t helpful. Every man experiences trouble with an erection at some point in his life.
MYTH: Taking Viagra (or other treatments) is unnatural.
REALITY: Yes. Totally unnatural. Kind of like polyester clothes, flying in airplanes, living in apartment towers and using iPods. It’s a miracle of the modern age that we’re able to overcome nature’s little roadblocks by popping a tiny blue pill. The year is 2010: the future has arrived. If your doctor thinks it’s a good idea, get on board!
