Some researchers have way too much time on their hands. Case in point:

A group of Belgian researchers believe that research has already demonstrated a link between vaginal orgasm and better mental health (although I’d argue such a link is nebulous at best). They wondered if one could determine whether a woman experienced vaginal orgasms just by observing everyday body movement. Specifically, walking.

Looking at a group of healthy Belgian women, half of whom have vaginal orgasms and half who do not, trained sexologists discovered that they could pick out the vaginal orgasmic women 81% of the time — far better than chance. They could not, however, pick out women who had clitoral orgasms. (Vaginal orgasms were defined for this study, according to the researchers, by penile-vaginal intercourse, not orgasm from direct clitoral stimulation.)

How did they do it?

Exploratory analyses suggest that greater pelvic and vertebral rotation and stride length might be characteristic of the gait of women who have experienced vaginal orgasm (r = 0.51, P < 0.05).

So the “trained sexologists” were apparently looking for greater hip movement and walking stride, but this is a pretty weak association.

The researchers’ conclusions were also good for a laugh:

The discerning observer may infer women’s experience of vaginal orgasm from a gait that comprises fluidity, energy, sensuality, freedom, and absence of both flaccid and locked muscles. Results are discussed with regard to previous research on gait, the effect of the musculature on sexual function, the special nature of vaginal orgasm, and implications for sexual therapy.

I think the “special nature” of vaginal orgasm is mostly in these folks’ heads. But I suppose if you’re interested in trying to better understand attractiveness, this kind of research can point us in one direction. It seems these sort of observations may also help inform future researchers about sexuality and attractiveness.

We’ve also published quite a few news stories about attractiveness:

• Attractiveness is in the Way We Walk
• Friends, Family Find Similar Faces Attractive
• Physical Attractiveness, Earning Power, Ambition Are All Equal Aphrodisiacs

The first one seems most relevant, and this study may provide a reason as to why the attractiveness ratings for perceived women increased by about 50 percent when they walked with hip sway. Could it be an unconscious signal of their sexual abilities?

Reference:

Nicholas A., Brody S., de Sutter P., de Carufel F. (2008). A Woman’s History of Vaginal Orgasm is Discernible from Her Walk. J Sex Med.

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 29 Jul 2008
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.