I was sure that moany sex meant better sex; to me, the women who used those sounds while they humped were the poster children of the sexually free. I suspected that they were having the coitus of champions, which meant, of course, that there was something I was missing out on. As the years went on, I had other boyfriends, but my decibel level remained disappointingly similar. By the time I was with Dave, my sonic landscape was still most closely matched with a library. I wanted to take a closer look at what I might be missing out on. Are humans actually predisposed to being screamers, and if so, what is the purpose of all the noise?

Or maybe you think of the other night when you let a noise slip mid-romp that—wait, actually made the moment so much hotter for the both of you? Moaning during sex is basically a power-up in the bedroom. Letting out those hot and heavy noises can even point to a more satisfying sex life, according to one study published by the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Still, the thought of adding a few moans to your romps can be stressful if you haven't done it before. And for some especially those with ah, roommates , the thought of moaning during sex might send cringey shivers down your spine.

Right there. Ah, ahh, yesssss. So if you don't understand, good news: We're here to help you dissect and interpret every kind of moan, plus give you a little refresher on pretty much everything and anything you ever wanted to know about sex noises.

Experts wondered the same thing. In the study, they asked 71 sexually active heterosexual women between ages 18 and 48 for more details about vocalization during sex. The researchers found that many of the women did make noise, but not necessarily while they were having an orgasm. Are female orgasms really just a 'bonus'?