Is there really a right answer for the best kind of underwear for men? Is it boxers or briefs? It turns out there is. Read on to find out the best option according to science.
For men, there are two main choices of underwear: briefs and boxers. Each comes with its own merits and demerits.
The boxer, introduced in 1925, got its name from the shorts worn by professional boxers. It’s a loose-fitting short extending to the thigh, with an elastic band on top of it. Many men love to wear boxers, while others prefer briefs. 
Briefs, on the other hand, are tight-fitting and sit on top of the thigh. Some men prefer briefs to boxers because boxers can leave the shape and size of men’s private parts exposed, since they are not very compact. However, for some other men, briefs can be too tight and cause chaffing.
What Does Science Say About Boxers or Briefs?
A team of researchers at Harvard published the most comprehensive study of the subject to date, and the key finding was that men who wore non-boxers, that is, briefs and other kinds of confining underwear, have significantly lower concentrations of sperm and lower sperm counts.
The study analysed data from 656 men seeking fertility treatment aged 32 to 39. Participants were surveyed on their underwear choices over three months, with 53% reporting they usually wore boxers. Results indicated that men wearing boxers had 25% higher sperm concentrations and 17% higher total sperm counts compared to those not primarily wearing boxers. Additionally, boxers were linked to a higher percentage of motile sperm, with the most notable differences in sperm concentration arising when comparing boxers to jockeys and briefs.
Boxers and Briefs vs Infertility
Think of the scrotum as the refrigerator for sperm. Man has the peculiar physical structure known as the scrotum, which is the hanging container for the testes, the organs that make sperm. Thus, because they carry the species’ seeds in an external bag that sperm in a scrotum can be kept colder than the rest of the body since mammals have warm blood. The conclusion: packing it all into briefs can lead to infertility.
The idea of keeping the testes cool to improve fertility is not new and has been explored in past research using different methods of scrotal hypothermia.
In 1984, in “Scrotal Hypothermia and the Infertile Man,” a paper published in The Journal of Urology, scientists tested the efficacy of ice packs applied to the scrotum at night and held in place with jockey shorts. Sixty-five per cent of the subjects saw a twofold increase in sperm concentrations.
In a more recent study, researchers used information gathered from over 650 men who sought treatment for infertility at the Massachusetts General Hospital at some point between 2000 and 2017, for the most recent study published in Human Reproduction. Researchers examined semen samples from the men, aged eighteen to fifty-six, for sperm count, concentration, motility, and overall health.
It was discovered that compared to males who preferred tight underwear, those who wore boxers more frequently had 17% more sperm and a 25% greater concentration of them.
It seems men are at a crossroads when choosing the right underwear, but if you plan on procreating, you should probably steer clear of briefs.
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