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New research suggests there is no point in faking pleasure during sex. Why? Because sexual partners can tell if someone is faking or feeling pleasure.

Investigators at the University of Waterloo found that men and women are equally aware of their partner's levels of sexual satisfaction.

The latest study reveals sexual communication and ability to recognize emotions as important factors that can be used to predict accuracy in gauging a person's sexual satisfaction.

"We found that, on average, both men and women have fairly accurate and unbiased perceptions of their partners' sexual satisfaction," lead author Erin Fallis, PhD candidate at the Department of Psychology at Waterloo, said in a news release. "We also found that having good communication about sexual issues helped participants to understand their partners' sexual satisfaction. However, even if sexual communication was lacking, a person could still be fairly accurate in gauging his or her partner's sexual satisfaction if he or she was able to read emotions well."

Researchers recruited 84 couples that were part of a larger study on sexual functioning and satisfaction. In the study, partners were separated and asked to report on their levels of commitment, relationship satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, and sexual communication. Researchers also assessed participants' emotion recognition abilities.

The study revealed that couples in sexual relationships usually develop a "sexual script" which sets guidelines for their sexual activity.

"Over time, a couple will develop sexual routines," said Fallis. "We believe that having the ability to accurately gauge each other's sexual satisfaction will help partners to develop sexual scripts that they both enjoy. Specifically, being able to tell if their partners are sexually satisfied will help people decide whether to stick with a current routine or try something new."

Researchers said the latest study might help reduce societal stereotypes that men and women have difficulty communicating with and understanding one another.

"The next step in this research is to look at the impacts of having more or less accurate perceptions of one's partner's sexual satisfaction over time in long-term relationships," said Fallis. "We expect that having a more accurate understanding of one's partner's sexual satisfaction will have positive impacts for both partners' sexual satisfaction and we're eager to test this idea."

The findings are published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.