ORIGINAL PAPER
Evidence to Suggest that Copulatory Vocalizations in Women
Are Not a Reflexive Consequence of Orgasm
Gayle Brewer
•
Colin A. Hendrie
Received: 16 August 2009 / Revised: 9 April 2010 / Accepted: 21 April 2010 / Published online: 18 May 2010
Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010
Abstract The current studies were conducted in order to
investigate the phenomenon of copulatory vocalizations and
their relationship to orgasm in women. Data were collected
from 71 sexually active heterosexual women (M age = 21.68
years ± .52) recruited from the local community through
opportunity sampling. The studies revealed that orgasm was
most frequently reported by women following self-manipu-
lation of the clitoris, manipulation by the partner, oral sex
delivered to the woman by a man, and least frequently during
vaginal penetration. More detailed examination of responses
during intercourse revealed that, while female orgasms were
most commonly experienced during foreplay, copulatory
vocalizations were reported to be made most often before and
simultaneously with male ejaculation. These data together
clearly demonstrate a dissociation of the timing of women
experiencing orgasm and making copulatory vocalizations
and indicate that there is at least an element of these responses
that are under conscious control, providing women with an
opportunity to manipulate male behavior to their advantage.
Keywords Orgasm Á Copulatory vocalization Á
Sexual behavior Á Evolution
Introduction
During sexual activity, it is most commonly female primates
that make vocalizations (Hauser, 1996; Pradhan, Engelhardt,
van Schaik, & Maestripieri, 2006; Semple, 2001). Such vocal-
izations may be emitted during the solicitation, copulatory
or post ejaculatory phases (Dixson, 1998; Gouzoules, Gust,
Donaghey, & St. Andre, 1998; Maestripieri & Roney, 2005).
The role of these vocalizations remains enigmatic; however,
the most parsimonious view is that their immediate function is
simply to advertise that sexual activity is occurring within
close proximity (e.g., Pradhanet al., 2006). The effectsof these
advertisements are manifold, and may include the synchro-
nizing of male and female orgasm (Hamilton & Arrowood,
1978), the strengthening of the pair bond (Hamilton & Arro-
wood, 1978), inciting male-male competition, and increasing
the chances of mating with a dominant male (Cox & LeBoeuf,
1977) or multi-matings, increasing the level of sperm com-
petition and reducing the risk of infanticide through uncer-
tainty of paternity (O’Connell & Cowlishaw, 1994). Finally,
these vocalizations may just be the result of phylogentic inertia
(Henzi, 1996), reflecting the internal state resultant upon
female orgasm that has no impact on the behavior of others
(Hamilton & Arrowood, 1978).
Within the context of our own species, there could have
been a number of potential advantages to ancestral females
mating with multiple males. These may include the protection
from infanticide gained from uncertainty of paternity and
augmented by cryptic ovulation (e.g., Palombit, 2000). There
is also the increased physical pleasure associated with sus-
tained clitoral stimulation (Hrdy, 1981). However, mating
with multiple males would only have been adaptive for female
pre-hominids capable of caring for offspring by themselves.
Where paternity is not certain, support from a given male
is concomitantly reduced (Tooby & Devore, 1987), thereby
increasing the risk of injury or fatality in a species so vulner-
able to cephalopelvic disproportion (CPD) and that has such a
long period of neonatal helplessness.
G. Brewer (&)
School of Psychology, University of Central Lancashire,
Preston, Lancashire PR1 2HE, England
e-mail: gbrewer@uclan.ac.uk
C. A. Hendrie
Institute of Psychological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds,
West Yorkshire, England
123
Arch Sex Behav (2011) 40:559–564
DOI 10.1007/s10508-010-9632-1