Men’s Value for a Large Penis Relates to Threatened Masculinity, Dominance, and Aggression: A Test of Symbolic Self Completion Theory
Does the desire for a large penis relate to how men view their roles in society? How does it correlate to concepts related to masculinity such as dominance and aggression? And how does this all relate to men’s psychology around their penis length? This month we talked to Dr. Cindy Harmon-Jones about her article Men’s Value for a Large Penis Relates to Threatened Masculinity, Dominance, and Aggression: A Test of Symbolic Self Completion Theory. We discussed the findings of her article and where she sees this research leading in the future.
Harmon-Jones, C., Schmeichel, B. J., Summerell, E., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2026). Men’s value for a large penis relates to threatened masculinity, dominance, and aggression: A test of symbolic self-completion theory. Psychology of Men & Masculinities, 27(1), 124-135. https://doi.org/10.1037/men0000546
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What were the key questions you were addressing in this article?
Our main question was, why are some men very concerned about penis size? One might guess that men value a large penis because women prefer large penises. However, research suggests this is not the case. According to past research, women prefer penises that are around average in size. So why do men have a value for larger penises and why do some men place greater importance on large penises than others? Anecdotally, I had noticed that the men who especially valued large penises seemed to be more angry and hostile than other men, but was this actually true? It needed to be empirically tested. My colleagues and I turned to symbolic self-completion theory. This theory proposes that when a person feels insufficient or threatened in an important domain, they display alternative symbols of success. We wondered if men who feel threatened in their masculinity value large penises because these serve as symbols of masculinity.
What were the main conclusions of your article?
We found that indeed men who felt insecure about fulfilling the masculine role placed a larger importance on penis size. Men who were more angry and aggressive also placed a higher value on a large penis. Our first three studies were correlational, so there could be a number of confounds that could account for these relationships. However, the fourth study was an experiment. Men were assigned to recall times they had either succeeded or failed at fulfilling the masculine role. We found that those who were assigned to remember times they had failed reported a higher value for large penises. This relationship was statistically mediated by humiliation. This means that the more men felt humiliated by failing to live up to masculine ideals, the more they placed importance on penis size.
What are the key implications of your article for research, policy, or practice?
Men’s interest in penis size is often treated as humorous or a joke. Our studies suggest that the implications may be deeper. When men who are especially concerned with penis size, this might reflect larger concerns with masculinity and their ability to succeed as a man. I hope that this research opens up more discussion about men’s body image as it relates to the penis in classes on human sexuality and in discourse in general.
Where do you see this line of research heading in the future (i.e., what’s next)?
It would be interesting to see whether concerns about masculinity relate to the importance that men put on other physical symbols of masculinity such as muscularity.
Dr. Cindy Harmon-Jones
School of Psychology
Western Sydney University
