A new study has found that women fake orgasm not only because men aren't hitting and they dont want to hurt their egos, but also to keep their men from cheating.
"One particular reason that emerges from a lot of studies is 'to keep my partner interested in this relationship,' or 'to prevent him from defecting [from] the relationship or leaving the relationship for another woman,'" study lead author Dr. Farnaz Kaighobadi, a postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia University in New York City, told Live Science.
For the study - published in the Nov. issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior - researchers surveyed 453 heterosexual women in the Southeastern U.S. who were in long-term relationships. The researchers found that 54 percent of the women admitted to faking an orgasm. A closer look showed women who thought their partner might stray were more likely to report faking. What's more, these women were more likely to engage in other "mate-retention" behaviors, like dressing to please or keeping tabs on their partners when they're apart.
Kaighobadi suggests that faking an orgasm to keep a mate from straying may be an evolutionary adaptation. Previous research suggests when a woman has an orgasm, it may cause her body to retain sperm for child-bearing. The evolutionary theory suggests faking an orgasm unconsciously might help a woman retain the sperm of a man with "good genes," giving her the best chance to have a healthy child.
Essentially, women may use faked orgasms to signal to their partner that "I am selecting you," thus manipulating his commitment.
