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The scientific truth behind the 5 myths about sex

People come across various myths regarding sex from diverse sources, including books, the Internet, television and people around them. They even make up their own myths based on their experience.

However, many of these rumors have been found to be false. The Daily Mail provided the scientific truth behind the five most widely known sex myths.

1. The size of a penis corresponds to foot size

Many people believe that they can size up a man’s penis by looking at his feet, or other body parts like the hands or nose.

Surprisingly enough, this turned out to be scientifically plausible, since a gene called the Hox gene is in charge of the development of the toes and fingers, as well as the growth of the penis and clitoris.

Nevertheless, no good evidence has yet been found that men with big feet have big penises. Out of the two studies that have been done, one found no correlation at all, while one did find a weak relationship. However, the latter study lost credibility for not measuring the men’s feet but relying on their reported shoe sizes.

2. Having sex is good for losing weight

This might sound quite persuasive, but unless the sex lasts much longer and with much more vigor, it is going to provide nowhere near the recommended amount of exercise in order to lose weight.

The average amount of calories burned by having sex is between 25 and 125, according to research.

3. Men think of sex every 7 seconds

Research has proven that men tend to think of sex more than woman, but it’s clearly an exaggeration to say they think about sex every seven seconds.

According to a study published in 1994, slightly over 50 percent of the men who participated replied that they think of sex more than once a day. On the other hand, more than 40 percent of the men answered that they think of sex a few times a week or a month. Four percent even replied that they think of sex less than once a month.

4. Birth control pills make women gain weight

Medications may have side effects, but it is a myth that birth control pills cause weight gain.

When the pills were first developed, they contained high levels of estrogen and progestin, leading to the possibility of weight gain. However, the pills used today have much lower levels of those hormones thanks to the development of medical science.

5. Testicles sag with age

Bodies are destined to change with age. Thus, when men get older, the testicles produce fewer and slower sperm and the tiny tubes where the sperm are produced start to degenerate, causing them to become smaller overall.

However, the smooth muscle that controls the movement of the testicles functions for life. Also, since the muscle is smooth, it is unlikely to sag much.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)