By Peter Berton

PHILADELPHIA – Some women fake orgasms to heighten their own enjoyment during sex. That’s one of four conclusions researchers at Temple University and Kenyon College reveal in a new research report.

“The Faking Orgasm Scale for Women: Psychometric Properties,” published in the Journal of Sexual Archives, presents results gleaned from a study of 481 heterosexual single females with an average age of 20.

Elevating their own arousal was the third-most-common reason subjects reported for faking orgasms. “Altruistic deceit” (preventing a partner from feeling inadequate) ranked first, followed by “fear and insecurity” (based on a desire to avoid derision from partners). “Sexual adjournment,” or faking orgasm to bring an end to sexual activity, ranked fourth.

More than 80 percent of the 481 women surveyed reported faking orgasms at least some of the time.

“What is unique about the Faking Orgasm Scale for Women is that, for the first time, we have quantitative evidence suggesting women may also fake orgasm for far more ‘selfish’ reasons, like increasing their own arousal,” study co-author Erin Cooper told HuffPost Women. “Deciding to fake orgasm for this motive may have little to nothing to do with a woman’s partner and his sexual experience.

“I view this strategy as one of the many ‘tools in the toolbox’ women may use to enhance their own sexual experience,” Cooper added.

Previous studies of the fake orgasm phenomenon have reported women are “more likely to engage in mate-retention strategies such as direct guarding, intersexual negative inducements and public possession signals,” Cooper and her co-authors noted in their report. “[Our] findings suggest women may fake orgasm either to display commitment, interest or love to their partner, or to manipulate their partner’s commitment to them.”