References to penis size are everywhere, deeply ingrained in the language and attitudes that equate all sorts of undesirable characteristics with small penises. Having a “small dick” is said to be the same as being a coward, a spineless weasel, an arrogant and overcompensating asshole, a weakling, or a generally unpleasant and prickly person. The media, particularly of late, is rife with jokes and mean-spirited plotlines about penis size. Women talk more and compare more,in a culture where sex is considered just another part of dating – and one of the worst things they can say about someone they dislike is that he is inadequately hung.

Most men, meanwhile, don't have the opportunity for realistic comparison. As young men, their rates of development may vary wildly from those of their peers – so the cruel comparisons during that time are quite meaningless, even though they may lead to teasing and taunting. Later on in life, men's furtive locker-room glances aren't a great source of information either, since flaccid penises reveal little about their erectile potential, and since size in the flaccid state is so susceptible to temperature. Where that leaves most straight men to compare is to pornography, and face it, those guys in the flicks are not chosen for their acting ability – so you get a small section of the male population that happens to be unusually large.