A new study has found that the average erect penis size among men in the U.S. is 5.6 inches (14.2 centimeters).

Penis size has been shown to have a direct influence on men's attractiveness and so have been the theme of many studies, countless legends, advertisements, movies and even email spam. Another research had shown that the average penis size of a male in U.S. is about 5 inches placing it at 96 out of 116 countries ( the longest penis length is 7.06 in Congo and the smallest is 3.80 inches for men in South and North Korea).

Another related study had found that men are more likely to obsess about how they measure-up against their buddies than being concerned about their partner's size preference.

The present study was conducted by Debby Herbenick, a researcher at Indiana University, and her colleagues. Data for the study came from over 1,600 men who submitted details about their penis length and girth online, Livescience reported.

The smallest penis in the study measured 1.6 inches (4 cm) long, and the largest was 10.2 inches (26 cm) long and the average penis girth was about 4.8 inches (12.2 cm).

The men in the study also submitted details on how they were aroused- oral or masturbation. Researchers found that men who reported having oral sex had greater penis length than those who were fantasizing.

"We don't know if that means that when men have oral sex that it's more arousing and they get a bigger erection, or means that men who have bigger penises could be getting more oral sex in the first place," Herbenick told LiveScience.

Researchers also found that other characteristics such as race or height weren't good predictors of the men's penis size.

The study is published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine.