Reasons to pretend to orgasm and the mating psychology of those who endorse them

Considerable work has examined the reasons men and women pretend to orgasm, but few studies have examined how mating motives relate to the various reasons they might do so. Data from an online (N = 656), snowball sample revealed—through factor analysis—five potential reasons people pretend to orgasm (i.e., positive feedback, enhancing pleasure, avoidance, mate deception, and sexual boredom). These reasons were differentially related to an array of individual differences in mating psychology as captured with the Dark Triad traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism), sociosexuality, and (self-reported) mate value. There were also sex differences in who pretended for some of the reasons (e.g., women pretended more to offer positive feedback; men pretended more to avoid an awkward situation) and differences depending on whether people genuinely pretended or quasi-pretended (i.e., exaggerated their enjoyment). This study adds to the relevant literature on the reasons people pretend to orgasm but examined how individual differences in mating psychology predict those reasons. It seems that pretending to orgasm may be motivated by different relationship goals and interpersonal styles.