According to one scientific study, socks can help you cum.

It turns out your favorite fuzzy socks (and the running socks at the back of the drawer that you’ve had since grade school) do a lot more for you than you thought. 

Science has shown that socks could help you reach orgasm.

Researchers observed in a limited study, that when given socks to wear during sex, 80% of the observed couples were able to achieve orgasm. Without socks, only 50% of observed couples achieved orgasm.

Socks Appeal and Societal Pressures

As a society, we often function as if we are constantly on stage in front of an audience. There is an ever-present pressure to say and do the ‘right’ (aka popular) things, maintain certain levels of status or wealth, and wear what is deemed most fashionable or desirable. This leads to stress, discomfort, and anxiety that we are all too familiar with.

This pressure and subsequent anxiety aren’t left at the bedroom door. We even feel the pressure to perform during sex – concealing fleshy tummies, removing hair for aesthetics, moaning like porn actors do, etc. This sexual performance is (A) exhausting and (B) limiting our genuine sexual enjoyment. If you’re focusing on your ‘performance,’ you aren’t focusing on your pleasure, your partner, or the sensations. 

Beauty Doesn’t Have to Mean Pain

To some, it is a crime to wear socks during sex (or with sandals), but maybe these ‘criminals’ had the right idea. What would happen if we abandoned that which made us uncomfortable and instead embodied ourselves comfortably and confidently? What if we created environments that made us feel safe, secure, and cozy? What if we wore socks when we had sex with conviction because we knew that increasing blood circulation and overall comfort will help us reach orgasm?

Don’t worry about what you look like or what you are (or aren’t) wearing if you are comfortable and feel like yourself – sex (and life) isn’t a fashion show. Go ahead and put on your fuzzy socks… they might even match your favorite (and most comfortable) lingerie.  Or better yet, shop Rythm’s Doing it better socks here. 

Written by:

Gillian ‘Gigi’ Singer, MPH

American Board Certified Sexologist, Sexuality Educator, and Sex Ed Content Specialist

*** Author’s Note: This study has a very small sample size. It only tested 26 straight people who were probably in monogamous relationships.  These study results, according to my research, have not been replicated. To be considered a theory proven, results should be tested and retested with the same outcomes.