Men may be embarrassed about stripping off in the changing room and waggling their manhood about, but in private it's a whole different ball game (yes, the pun was intended).
Experts hoping to find out once and for all the true size of the average penis, asked men to measure their member in the privacy of their own homes.
Those taking part were asked to report their findings accurately. Cautious that men might be inclined to err... stretch the truth, they were incentivised.
Experts told the men that measurements would be used to create each subject their very own perfect-fit condom.
And the results are in. The average penis measures up at 5.57 inches...
...which it turns out is just what everyone has always thought. So no surprises there.
In case you don't have a ruler to hand -- is smaller than a medium-sized banana, which according to LiveStrong.com, measures up at 7-7.5 inches.
What the study does show is that penis-size studies of the past, where men are usually asked to self-report rather than be measured up by a scientist with a ruler, are accurate.
Objects That Are Similar Size To The Average Penis:
- Sharpie pens
- A large gherkin
- A Nintendo Wii remote
- Mid-length carrot
- Half a ruler
But HuffPost UK Lifestyle can't help but wonder whether any of this actually matters.
Lead author of the study Debby Herbenick told Psychology Today that size isn't everything: "Research on sexual satisfaction tends to suggest that other factors (such as intimacy, affection, and psychological connection) are more important than a person's genital size.
"That doesn't mean that genital size is never important to some people, but it does suggest that human qualities—and qualities about how people interact with each other emotionally and psychologically—are among the more important aspects of human sexuality."
Take our poll and tell us what matters most to you when it comes to the penis department.