Did researchers from the University of Sussex and the University of Kinshasa conclude that having a bigger than average penis is a disability associated with low mental capacity ? No, that's not true: there is no trace of such research on the websites of both universities and the site that originally posted it was only registered a month ago and uses a smiley face as it's icon.
The story went massively viral, getting over 130,000 engagements on Facebook in a few days with many people believing it was a real story judging by social media comments.
The story originated from an article published by "ihlayanews.com" aka "ngempela?" on June 2, 2019 titled "Study concludes bigger than average penis is a disability and it's associated with low mental capacity" (archived here) which opened:
Are you a proud owner of a big manhood?. We have bad news for you.
Are you considered average or small down there?. Then you have nothing to worry about.
Researchers who studied the male reproductive organs for over 30-years in the University of Sussex in Brighton, England with help from the University of Kinshasa in the DRC have a disappointing conclusion for those who are well endured.Unfortunately, a larger than average penis is a disability and 9 out of 10 of the man-dingle holders are technically dumb as in they cannot use their brains very well.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Study concludes bigger than average penis is a disability and it's associated with low mental capacity
Researchers who studied the male reproductive organs for over 30-years in the University of Sussex in Brighton, England with help from the University of Kinshasa in the DRC have a disappointing con...
The story does not mention the actual researchers or title of their research paper and we couldn't locate anything on the websites of the University of Sussex or the University of Kinshasa.
But the name of the website that posted the story ("Ngempela?") means "really?" in Zulu and it uses a crying with laugher smiley as it's icon: 😂
The domain name for the site was registered just a month ago according to WHOIS data:
Domain:ihlayanews.com
Registrar:FastDomain Inc.
Registered On:2019-05-10
Expires On:2020-05-10
Updated On:2019-05-10
Definitely not a trustworthy source for information about medical research.
