If there is one thing the human race continues to be stubborn about, it’s sex. Folks often align their entire identity with their sexual performance without reading the supporting literature (ignorance is not visceral pleasure, unfortunately), or even believe age-old legends about sex that have no scientific basis, but carry on messing with our libidos and subconscious. There’s nothing wrong with being informed, but to be as such, it’s necessary to tear down preconceived notions about sex, casually or seriously study the science, and engage in activity with the objective at getting better at it (it’s ok to ask if you suck, cause you only can only get better).

Below are some of my favorite sex myths I came across during a crazy Internet research binge.

According to dumb mythology, women apparently don’t dig pornography. This is anything but true. Researchers found that women’s brains experience great surges of activity whilst enjoying a good porn feature or two, and that watching such media is useful in finding out what people actually like, mostly because shyness is never an issue in porn, and certain activities filmed can be inspiration for real life hooking-up experimentation.

The universe keeps believing that penis size is everything forever. A good pile of research suggests that mental intimacy, leading to physical intimacy, is much more important than if the man (men) in question have lighthouses, magic wands, or tinker toys for schlongs. There are many positions that can maximize any size, and nothing is more important than actually finding the correct methods to please your partner(s).

Men are often afraid of electric sex toys that to them seem like vibrating kaiju equivalents of a wang. And I’ve heard women say that once they enjoy the company of a schlong simulacrum, a man will never be enough. These are both ridiculous, as neither is an absolute substitute and, in fact, both can be utilized in tandem. Sex toys don’t reduce sensitivity, and their use shouldn’t be a threat to a healthy, sexual relationship.

It’s a myth that sex certain ways will 100% stop a future baby in its tracks. According to research (and, you know, sense), the only method that will make sure a child doesn’t manifest from some fun-time coupling is to refrain from such activity. No sex, no babies. There are many ways to lower the chance of a baby happening all over your life, but no sure fire method beats straight up not doing it.

A number of people believe sex disappears after a certain age. It’s no myth that most of us cringe at the thought of our parents or like-aged people going at it, but our discomfort doesn’t mean a healthy sexual life can’t be achieved until the day you kick the bucket. There are many medical conditions that can get in the way, but barring those, one’s sex life doesn’t completely dissolve after one birthday or another.

There are actually people who believe ardently that sex lowers the level of athleticism, but sex only serves to amp up testosterone. You can still have a bunch of sex and barrel helmet first through a terrifying throng of giant dudes and survive the entire ordeal.

The majority of humans believe sex to be a merely physical display of digging on someone. Quite the contrary, says sex writers and science folks. The brain is a vast array of sexual impulses, and should be utilized accordingly; humor and intellectual fancies should be shared in sex, making a bunch of grunts and horse-like whinnies into a sublime, otherworldly experience. If you like that sort of thing.