Scientists studied the evolutionary reasons for penis size

Scientists have announced new results researching the evolutionary reasons for penis size in humans.

In a study published in the international scientific journal on January 27, 2026, scientists tried to explain why penis size in humans is larger than in other great apes.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Biology and assesses the issue from the perspective of evolutionary biology. The authors of the study say that this feature may have been formed in connection with two main factors in human evolution - the perception of potential partners and the assessment of possible rivals.

In terms of context, penis size has been a topic that has been exaggerated, stereotyped and sometimes accompanied by misinformation in popular culture for many years. Scientific research, however, tries to understand average statistical trends and biological mechanisms by separating such claims from individual assessments.

As part of the study, participants were shown anatomically accurate 3D male figures that differed in only three parameters - height, body build and penis size. Female participants rated the figures' overall sexual attractiveness, while male participants rated them as "dangerous and competitive." The results showed that while larger sizes increased attractiveness to a certain extent for women, this effect quickly faded. For men, however, perceptions of competition and threat steadily increased as size increased. The researchers concluded that these results reflect average evolutionary trends, not individual preferences, and do not define norms for body diversity in modern societies. While the findings help to understand historical perceptions of the human body, they are a reminder that body-based valuation is problematic in today's social and human rights context.

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