An old myth has been debunked after researchers explored the truth about circumcision and pleasure. A study published in the Journal of Urology suggests that both circumcised and uncircumcised penises have the same level of sensitivity.
Circumcision does not reduce penile sensitivity, research finds: New research conducted at Queen's Un... https://t.co/eEMzMUc4Xl #science
— SOMERCO (@SomercoResearch) April 14, 2016
The Myth
Researchers from Queen's University in Ontario, Canada settled the age-old debate about circumcision and the resulting reduced sensitivity. In a study of 62 men aging 18 to 37 years old, they found that circumcised penises are no less sensitive than the uncircumcised ones, Huffington Post reports. The finding also challenges previous research suggesting that the foreskin is the most sensitive part of the adult penis.
"There's a lot of popular folklore that circumcised penises are less sensitive," Jennifer Bossio, a Ph.D. student in psychology and the lead author on the study, shared to Vox. The lore continues that without the foreskin, a man's penis will harden slightly, impairing sensitivity and pleasure.
The Study
Bossio and her colleagues gathered 62 brave Canadian men, who underwent various touching mechanisms to gauge levels of sensitivity. Thirty of the men were circumcised and the rest were not. Sensations such as fine touching, pain, warmth and heat pain were administered to the penises. The researchers increase the intensity until the participant says he feels something.
"We found that while the foreskin was more sensitive to fine touch, it was not more sensitive to the other stimuli we used, and those stimuli are likely more important in sexual pleasure," Bossio was quoted by Huffington Post. Bossio and her team couldn't find any difference between the two groups. They concluded that circumcision does not affect penile sensitivity.
The lead researcher noted that many anti-circumcision activists believe that removing the foreskin via circumcision can affect a man's sex life. As mentioned earlier, the foreskin is believed to be the most sensitive part of the penis.
The Recommendation
The researchers admit that the results are just preliminary and very few studies of this nature have been made. Although there have been established health benefits of circumcision, there is little known about the sexual benefits.
While the American Academy of Pediatrics supports the routine circumcision of newborn males, the Canadian Pediatrics Society does not. Both countries recently revised their policies about routine neonatal circumcision, Eureka Alert reports. However, CPS admits that foreskin removal can reduce urinary tract infection, sexually transmitted pathogens like herpes and protect against penile cancer.
Bossio is planning to explore more about erectile dysfunction in her next study. To know more benefits of circumcision, check out the video below:
