Male anatomy of pleasure - The penis

There is no doubt, the penis is the center of the males' universe (sexuality-wise). It is a fascinating organ, it comes in many shapes and sizes, can change its shape and size quickly, and has a great potential to provide us with pleasant sensations, including orgasm and ejaculation.

The penis in different sizes and shapes

Some men think their penis is too small. Here are some ideas I found on the web of How to make your penis appear bigger:

Before even considering enlargement techniques, here are some ways to make your penis appear bigger, both to yourself and others:

• Lose weight – if you’re overweight, the extra padding can make your penis appear smaller. Or actually the penis can be fully engulfed by the fatty tissue, so it practically disappears. This is called the hidden or "buried" penis (see the image on the right).
• Shave or trim your pubic hair – if you have a lot of pubic hair, it can make your penis look considerably smaller. So if you trim or shave it, you might find your penis looks much bigger.
• Don’t look down – when you look down at your penis, the angle always makes it look smaller. Look at yourself in a mirror instead.
• Don’t compare your downward angle to other guys – if you’re in a shared changing room, when you look at yourself and the other guys, you’ll look smaller for the same reason as above. So think how your penis looks in the mirror if you compare yourself to other men.
• Remember your age – it’s common to worry about your penis size when growing up. Remember though, teenagers develop at different times, so there’s no point comparing yourself to others. And your penis may keep growing until your early twenties.
• Don’t compare yourself to adult movie stars – guys in online movies are often chosen for their larger size. They don’t represent what’s considered average, so try not to compare yourself to them.
• Consider counseling – research has shown that in many cases counseling is effective in helping men feel good about their size. So before trying doubtful enlargement techniques, it may help to speak to your doctor about how you feel.

The gallery below shows the size range of men's penises, roughly ordered from small to huge.

Now let's have a look at different shapes - the "ideal" penis is thought to be relatively straight, but in fact many are more or less curved. The upwards bend might be the most accepted - in a way, it looks even more excited than a "normal" straight erection. The other curves, downwards and sideways, might seem somewhat strange to look at, but usually the function is not compromised - it will take the shape of whatever encloses it - pussies, Fleshlights, hands...

The penis - stages of the erection

Doubtless, the most intriguing part about the penis is its ability to get erected. An erection requires a healthy mind-body "team effort" led by the brain. Upon receiving signals from the brain, the blood vessels, nerves, and hormones work together to cause and maintain an erection. Three stages are differentiated:

The soft (flaccid) penis
If nothing is causing a man to become aroused, then his body's erection "team" of brain, nerves, blood vessels, and hormones won't begin working to cause an erection. The amount of blood flowing into the penis's spongy chambers (corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum) equals the amount flowing out. His penis remains soft.

The swollen (tumescent) penis
A man becomes aroused through his senses (such as sight or touch) or his thoughts (such as memories or fantasies). During arousal, messages brought by nerves cause the blood vessels and spongy chambers to dilate (open up). More blood flows into his penis than flows out. His penis starts to swell.

The erect (rigid) penis
As arousal continues, nerves keep carrying messages of arousal between the penis and brain. Blood keeps moving into the man's penis. Blood-swollen tissues press against the veins. Some of the blood is kept from flowing back out. Filled with blood, his penis becomes rigid. The man is able to have intercourse.

The flaccid penis

When it comes to male sexuality, everybody thinks about the erected penis. But the flaccid penis can be beautiful as well, and is in the same way sensitive and provides you with pleasant sensations when stimulated. Actually, it is even able to orgasm. For methods how to masturbate without an erection, see Inspirations - About Erection 1-3.

The tumescent penis

This subsumes all degrees of swelling between the fully flaccid and fully erect penis. Personally, I like the penis in this condition. I like how it looks, and even more how it feels when I touch it. And the potential for pleasant sensations becomes larger.

The erect penis

This is, of course, where we usually want to be, fully erect. It feels powerful, and looks sexy. And for sexual intercourse, but also most of the masturbation methods, it is indispensable. 

And finally: the orgasm and ejaculation

The moment of highest pleasure is very difficult to describe. But some good pictures have been taken of the "by-product" of orgasm... (the gallery also includes some animated GIFs)

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