Here Are the Effects of Orgasm on Your Body and Brain
Although you don’t need to experience an orgasm to find sex enjoyable, it’s unquestionably a fantastic perk.
Researchers employ fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) machines or PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scans to determine what is happening in our brains when we reach a climax. These tools can gauge the brain’s blood flow and neuronal activity.
Scientists have discovered some truly astounding information by observing the brain activity of people experiencing orgasms in these devices. In order to understand precisely what transpires in your brain during an orgasm, INSIDER visited with specialists.
1. During sex, your reasoning mind essentially shuts down
People often feel more confident and uninhibited during sex for a reason: the area of the brain responsible for logical reasoning momentarily takes a vacation.
“During intercourse, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex becomes less active. Reason, judgment, and the ability to assess values are all functions of this area of the brain. Decreases in fear and anxiety are also linked to the deactivation of this brain region “Daniel Sher, a clinical psychologist, spoke to INSIDER.
Given that fear and worry can interfere with arousal and cause issues like performance anxiety, the shutdown of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex really makes sense.
2. Having an orgasm involves the involvement of numerous spatially dispersed sections of your brain
Multiple spatially dispersed brain regions appear to be involved in the sexual response, according to medical imaging studies.
Cognitive psychologist Kayt Sukel told INSIDER that studies have shown that the substantia nigra, motor regions, hypothalamus, and thalamus all light up during the big O.
The thalamus aids in the integration of touch, movement, and any sexual fantasies or memories that a person may use to induce orgasm. The hypothalamus is active in the production of oxytocin, which may help regulate arousal.
The body is (ideally) moving during the act, and the genital sensory cortex is registering touches to the body’s nether regions, Sukel continued. As a result, motor areas are also implicated.
3. Your brain releases a burst of dopamine during an orgasm
Your brain is working overtime to produce a variety of hormones and neurochemicals during an orgasm. Dopamine, a hormone that regulates motivation, desire, and pleasure, is one of these.
Dopamine is produced in the ventral tegmental area of the brain, according to Sher, and is then released into other regions including the nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex.
“Dopamine is sometimes referred to as a “pleasure” molecule, but research has demonstrated that it provides us with much more than just a good time. It functions more as a learning chemical that aids in noticing rewards like food and sex and learning how to obtain more of them “Sukel explained.
4. Breastfeeding and orgasms both cause the release of oxytocin
Oxytocin is a different hormone that the brain produces during an orgasm. This hormone, which the pituitary gland secretes and the hypothalamus releases, encourages affection and a sense of closeness.
Because it is also released during nursing and is known to promote a feeling of affection and attachment, oxytocin is referred to as the “bonding hormone,” according to Sher.
The sensation of contentment that comes with orgasm is brought on by the release of prolactin, which also occurs during orgasm. It is also the primary hormone in charge of milk production after delivery.
Obviously, just because oxytocin and prolactin are released during intercourse and breastfeeding doesn’t mean a person feels the same way in each event.
These hormones can have a variety of physiological effects on us and are a mechanism used by the brain to improve our social bonds.
5. Just like using drugs or listening to your favorite music, an orgasm stimulates your brain
Unexpectedly, the brain doesn’t make much of a distinction between sex and other enjoyable events. The same regions of your brain that light up during an orgasm are those that make you feel good after indulging in dessert or winning at poker.
“Because our brains’ reward circuits are active during and just before an orgasm, we perceive sex as enjoyable. These are the same networks that are triggered by using drugs, drinking alcohol, gambling, listening to music you love, or indulging in a wonderful meal “Sher stated.
6. During sex, your brain releases hormones that lessen your pain threshold
The body actually becomes less sensitive to pain during sex, so it’s not just in your head.
According to Jess O’Reilly, Astroglide’s resident sexologist, “when the pituitary gland is triggered, the release of endorphins, oxytocin, and vasopressin enhance pain alleviation, closeness, and bonding.”
This may help to explain why acts like smacking or hair tugging, which can make us cringe in a non-sexual context, aren’t as unpleasant and sometimes even enjoyable during sex.
7. There are some brain regions that are activated in both orgasm and pain
Orgasm and pain really activate some of the same parts of the brain, which may explain why some people find sexual pleasure in feeling pain.
Sher stated that “during orgasm, several of the areas of the brain (namely, within the cortex) that are involved for pain are engaged.”
Vaginal stimulation may actually lessen pain sensitivity in certain people, according to some study, even if the connection between pain and orgasm is still poorly understood.
8. Your brain releases hormones after an orgasm that may make you feel content and drowsy
After an orgasm, your brain tends to become more relaxed. But it doesn’t completely leave the job.
“The orgasm causes the parasympathetic nervous system to begin down-regulating (or relaxing) the body in both men and women. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex, which had previously been active prior to climax and is connected to higher oxytocin levels to promote bonding, becomes down-regulated “Sher said.
Sukel said that following an orgasm, the brain also produces serotonin. This hormone is well known for encouraging happiness and relaxation. Serotonin can also make some people feel sleepy and like they want to cuddle up for a nap.
9. Women’s brains, however, frequently continue to release oxytocin even after an orgasm.
During sex, oxytocin, a hormone that plays a role in fostering feelings of closeness and bonding, is released in all brains. Women’s brains, however, respond slightly differently after an orgasm.
Sher observed that “oxytocin tends to continue to be released in women after orgasm, which may explain the motivation for post-coital cuddling.”
10. The brain may actually remap itself in those who are unable to sense vaginal stimulation, enabling them to experience orgasm
Although we frequently assume that orgasm and other forms of sexual pleasure depend on the stimulation of our genitalia, this isn’t totally accurate. Sometimes the brain can develop novel pleasure-seeking pathways that have nothing to do with our sexual organs.
O’Rielly noted that when organs are damaged or eliminated, the senses may be remapped, enabling us to feel sexual and orgasmic sensations in different bodily parts.
For example, in persons who have experienced lower body paralysis, the brain may actually change how it functions to enable someone to experience orgasm by stimulating other body areas, such as the skin on the arm or the nipples.
11. Orgasms may be nature’s ruse to get humans to reproduce
Orgasms are obviously enjoyable, but they may also be the brain’s covert attempt to encourage reproduction.
“The concept of putting your life and health at danger to give birth to what is essentially a parasite living inside you for nine months, which you then have to raise for the following ten years, seems like a lot of work. Mother Nature might be “tricking” humans to prevent the extinction of the species, “Sukel suggested.
Sher noted that even though researchers are unsure of the exact cause of our orgasms, the brief period of unadulterated joy we occasionally experience serves as a form of payment for having sex. It supports this behavior and encourages us to return for more.
12. Having an orgasm could be beneficial for maintaining brain health
Orgasming may not only tempt us to procreate but also benefit the health of our brains.
It’s also possible that this activity evolved partly to support the maintenance of the brain’s health because it drastically boosts blood flow across the brain, according to evolutionary theory, Sukel added.
Additionally, studies have hypothesized that female orgasm may have once contributed to ovulation stimulation, even though ovulation currently happens on its own and is independent of sexual activity.
