For many men, their penis size is important because they see it as an essential part of their masculinity. This is not only about the size of the member in the erect state. How the penis looks when flaccid – in the sauna, in the shower or in the locker room – is also very important to most men.

Blood flow makes a penis bigger

During an erection, blood gets pumped into the erectile tissue of the penis, making the penis not only stiff and hard, but also increasing the length and girth of the member due to the extra blood.

Any member gets bigger by an erection. However, there are men in whom the size of the penis more than doubles in the erect state compared to the flaccid member, while in others the penis size hardly differs from the non-erect state during an erection.

To describe how size of a penis behaves when it goes from flaccid to erect state, the terms “growers” and “showers” are used to distinguish between erection types and penis sizes, respectively, in the flaccid, or non-erect, state.

What is a “grower”?

A ” grower” penis swells significantly during an erection, making it much larger than when flaccid. The size of the penis can increase by twice or more during an erection. In the flaccid state, on the other hand, the penis is rather compact.

What is a “shower”?

Unlike the ” grower “, the size of a ” shower ” hardly changes during an erection. The blood that flows into the corpora cavernosa only ensures that the penis becomes stiff. In return, a fleshy penis is already more prominent when flaccid.

“Grower” vs. “Shower”: Studies on men’s penis types

The emergence of different penis types is often argued in terms of evolutionary history. Thus, in cooler regions, a small penis that grows strongly during sexual arousal would have been more practical, since a large penis would cool down quickly. In warmer regions, on the other hand – where people were less hairy and clothed – a larger, more visible penis would have been advantageous as a selection feature. Whether this explanation is really correct remains to be seen.

The terms “shower” and “grower” are not medical terms, but are mainly used colloquially. However, in 2018, a scientific study in the International Journal of Impotence Research (IJIR) also looked at the phenomenon: In it, all men in whom the difference between flaccid and stiff penis was more than 4 cm were defined as “growers”, and men in whom the difference was less than 4cm were defined as “showers”. While in the web often studies are quoted, which assume that 80% of the men in Europe rather are growers and 20% rather have showers in their trousers, the IJIR study found 74% of men to be “Showers” and only 26% as “Growers”.

In the IJIR study, ” showers ” were actually more likely to be larger when erect than the “growers” of participating men. The study also suggests that age is the primary determinant of whether someone is a shower or a grower. Thus, the elasticity of the tissue, the amount of collagen in the tissue and the general state of health are responsible for the different types of erections. All points that change with advancing age.

How important is the penis size?

Basically, it can be said that penis size has no influence on sexual intercourse. A larger penis per se does not give the woman more satisfaction during sex. How long or how big a penis has to be cannot be said, because the perfect penis does not exist.

However, women may well find men with a larger member more attractive, but this could also have to do with the effects of a large penis on the behavior of the man. This is because men with a larger penis are more likely to be satisfied with their bodies, have healthy self-confidence and are also more sexually confident.

Men who are uncomfortable with the size of their member may be able to benefit from surgical penis enlargement. Such a penis enlargement can lengthen the visible portion of the penis between 2 – 6 centimeters when flaccid. For men who actually have a relatively small or short penis, these inches can make a massive difference. Penis augmentation can also be used to increase the girth of the penis.